After months of planning, and two weeks of boiling games in the NBA’s Disney World bubble, it all came down to the Portland Trail Blazers’ matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night. And after an unbelievable back-and-forth game, the Blazers claimed a place in the play-in series with a win of 134-133. Portland will now face Memphis, and the Grizzlies must defeat the Blazers twice to advance to the first round to take on the Lakers.
The situation was pretty simple. Win, and the Blazers advanced to the playoffs, losing, and the Suns would have been there. Damian Lillard, after all he has done in the bubble, did not let the latter happen. He finished with 42 points and 12 assists for his fourth night of 40 points in the seeding games.
It was another incredible performance by Lillard, but Caris LeVert almost broke the hearts of the Blazers. The young Brooklyn guard was stealing in his own right, going for 37 points, six handballs and nine assists, but his potential game-winner climbed off the back of the rim – saving Portland and ending the Phoenix season.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Blazers win, they’re in
The seeding games finally end on Friday, but Thursday was the last truly significant day, as the four teams fighting for two places in the Western Conference were all in action. Earlier, the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks to end 8-0 in the bubble, but they still needed help. They did not get any of the Milwaukee Bucks because the Memphis Grizzlies crossed past a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less squad to place a spot in the play-in series.
With victories by the Suns and Grizzlies, the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated before they could even take the court, ending their remarkable 22-year playoff streak. And so, on the way to the last game of the night, the situation that started getting complicated early became extremely clear.
It was win or go home for the Blazers, and they got the job done – hardly, but they got it done. More importantly than just making the playoffs, the Blazers jumped past the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the process. That’s enormous, because it means the Blazers only have to win once to claim the playoff spot, while the Grizzlies now have to beat them twice in a row.
Lady does it again
They have not announced the Kia NBA Player of the Seeding Games – Corporate branding on prices is so cool – yet, but there is no question that it will be Damian Lillard. The man has been an absolute force of nature over the last few weeks, and the Blazers have been quite willing to get into the play-offs by themselves.
Thursday night it was no different. The Blazers were aiming to get the ball out of his hands, kicking him early in the first quarter when he came out of pick-and-rolls, and went so far as to double him at midcourt through the fourth quarter. And it just did not matter. There were certainly areas where he went quietly, but when he turned it on there was nothing the Nets could do.
He finished with 42 points and 12 assists, on 13-for-22 from the field, and 8-for-14 from 3-point land, which is an incredible game in any situation, let alone an elimination game where you for standing constant double teams. Overall, he was responsible for 69 of the Blazers’ 134 points – more than half of them.
On a night like that there are so many things you can highlight, but nothing was more impressive than his shot with 3 points. He hit some riding shots from the corner, and pulled at one point early in the fourth quarter with his heels on the NBA logo at midcourt. It was just an unbelievable show.
Blazers dominate points with second chance
Lillard was apparently the main story in this game, as there is no chance that the Blazers themselves would come close to winning without him. However, there were other things down in Orlando, and one of the biggest was the Blazers’ dominance in terms of second-chance points.
The Nets stepped up the bubble in missing a number of key players, and one of the biggest challenges for the group that fell to Orlando was a lack of size; Jarrett Allen was the only healthy player over 6-foot-9. While playing so little was an impetus for her foul, it also made her vulnerable on the glass – especially on the defensive end, where Allen’s tendency to chase blocks often leaves him out of position for rebounds.
Portland took advantage of that weakness in a significant way, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds. More importantly, they converted on those extra chances, scoring 29 enormous second-chance points, which were not only a season-high, but the most second-chance points they have had in a game since 2014. If you Allowing a team to shoot 55 percent of the field like the Blazers did, you have to find a way to keep pace, and the Blazers did that on the glass.
