Trail Blazers can’t cool Spurs shooting

The Portland Trail Blazers played an energetic and mostly healthy game against San Antonio Spurs Thursday evening. They did a reasonably good job of handling Victor Wembanyama. They fielded a pair of 20-point scorers in Jerami Grant and Deandre Ayton (21 apiece), nearly a third in Anfernee Simons (19). But Portland’s defense just couldn’t stop San Antonio from scoring. The Spurs shot 60% in the first half from the field, 53.7% for the game. Not only did it beat Portland’s 47.7% clip, it provided a steady source of points that the Blazers just couldn’t match. It led to a 118-105 San Antonio victory on a night when everything was going well for Portland, but just not well enough.

Ayton v Wemby

The Blazers came out with an interesting, completely valid plan of attack against Victor Wembanyama. They took advantage of Deandre Ayton, but not in the conventional way. Sending Ayton against Wemby one-on-one would have been a fool’s errand. Instead, they exploited Wembanyama’s strengths and turned them into weaknesses. They drove the ball into Wemby’s zone and baited him into chasing a stop or a block. When the big man’s aggressiveness brought him close to the action, they threw it behind them to…guess who? Ayton, still lurking behind the play, now without a defender. Deandre scored 9 in the first period alone, 17 in the first half on 8-10 shots. He finished the game with 21 and shot 10-15.

So look… this is another case where people who are hard on head coach Chauncey Billups and his staff need to leave some grace and breathing space. It was a good plan and the team executed it to near perfection. It was one heck of a way to turn a one-on-one positional disadvantage into a neutral situation.

Victor the Great

It’s kind of obvious, but we should spend some time wondering just how good Wembanyama really is. Not doing so is like touring the Louvre without referring to the Mona Lisa.

The most startling part of Wembanyama’s game – the one that makes you go, “Sacre Bleu!” is his demise. My husband has no right to see the floor the way he does. In the first quarter, he drove the ball deep under the rim, pursued by a defender who prevented him from converting a layup. He had options on the edges of the pitch, covered but open enough. Just as I was trying to figure out which one he was going to get the ball to, his arm twisted out, curled around the defender and looped the rock for a cutter down the middle of the key that hadn’t been there for half a second. previous. I don’t know many players who could even see that passing lane, let alone get the ball through it. It was a world-shattering move and he made it look natural.

Wembanyama’s defense is so good that he changes shots just by raising an eyebrow near a driver. He is intimidation personified. His drives look effortless and his finishes are sure. That he can also hit the three is simply unfair. And he never seems to get tired! I saw Donovan Clingan gasping and red-faced in the second period after a powerful but modest shift on the floor. Wemby had played twice as long and hadn’t even broken a sweat.

At this point I’m not even sure Wembanyama is human. He’s like some kind of basketball deity, come down to earth. It’s a real shame the Blazers didn’t get the first overall pick in his draft year, because I could watch this guy play every night without ever getting tired of it.

All of that said, the Blazers did a pretty good job of containing the French Phenom tonight. He shot just 4-14 from the floor for 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. His 4 steals, 3 blocks and countless altered shots more than made up for it. And the cost was not being able to hold containment on anyone else.

Getting behind

The Blazers scored pretty well on the Spurs tonight, but their defense gave up too many easy buckets. San Antonio kept getting behind Portland’s defense, sometimes on the break, sometimes just on half-court cuts. It didn’t help that Portland’s centers had to come out on the floor to watch You-Know-Who. That left the field wide open, the first line of down-low defense absent. Baseline cuts made way for easy passes for layups or dunks. In the fourth quarter, those drives came right down the middle of the field. Practice. There was no way to compensate for that.

Sharper image

Shaedon Sharpe returned to action tonight for the first time this season. His shot was authoritative and decisive. It seems he hasn’t lost a step at all, or any confidence. His delivery was also crisp, adapting easily to the system. It was a good first impression. Shaedon finished with 13 points on 6-9 shooting with one assist.

Scoot struggles

Scoot Henderson, on the other hand, looked like he was pushing it a little. The Blazers set him up for one-on-one drives, the kind of play where he normally excels. However, Wembanyama had a bad effect on his finishes. Wemby knew that Scoot did nothing but move forward, and he met the Portland guard on the spot each time. The cumulative effect was that Henderson looked like he ran headlong into a wall for most of the night. He had 11 points on 5-12 shooting with 3 assists and 2 turnovers.

Scoot was a pest on defense, hunting down ball handlers. At least there was.

Banton’s early calling

Dalano Banton saw first half action tonight for the first time all season. His performance in the second quarter was modest. He drove a few times and didn’t hit a shot in 10 minutes of play. He generated 4 rebounds plus a steal early. His defense has definitely picked up this season.

Fourth quarter heroics were all but absent from Portland’s superhero in hiding tonight. Banton finished the game with the same 4 points and shot just 1-8 from the field.

Deni returns

Deni Avdija returned to his first week form tonight, running the offense with the guards and making good passes. Deni had 5 assists against only 1 turnover. His personal offense is still off and on, but you’ve got to love the dishes. He also added 7 rebounds to his 9 points.

Three

We’ve said it after many games this season, so I won’t elaborate here. Portland’s three-point shooting is a critical component to their chances of victory. Tonight they shot 9-32, 28.1% from distance. San Antonio shot 16-39, 41.0% Enough said.

Next

Box score

The Blazers get no rest and head to Minnesota for a tilt against the Timberwolves tomorrow at 17.00 in the Pacific Ocean.