Know what’s interesting about Winslow? The last two seasons he was relatively healthy (min 60 games) he averaged 38% on 3PT shots on decent volume. In those two seasons (‘17-18, ‘18-19) he attempted 385 threes. Since then? 131. Could he be one of those guys that’s just better with more volume/playing time? No one is gonna confuse him for Reggie Miller, but if he can hover above 30% that would be pretty money.
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring only 9 of 35 vs the GS Warriors 15 of 41 in the Feb 24 loss 95-132. This severe loss was a poor performance by a new starting lineup with Nurk now out for a month and the 1st game for Drew Eubanks. The Blazers had an early lead of 10 pts in the 1st Q, but the severely hostile referees wrecked the game in the 2nd Q giving the Warriors a 17 pt FT advantage, and the 53-70 halftime lead. The Blazers played a weakly communicated game, with defensive lapses, were outrebounded 31-46, had only 16 assists, and had 18 TOs. Simons led scoring 4 of 7, Winslow scored 2 of 3, and Brandon, Brown, and Hughes each scored 1 of 3. Keon and Blevins were each 0 of 1, Elleby was 0 of 3, Hart was 0 of 5, and Ben was 0 of 6. This poor 25.7% swish3 shooting, and only half of the goal 18, with poor communication and only weak energy will not be good enough to win over strong teams like the Warriors. This game was NOT televised by Root Sports. Boo! For the Sun game against the Nuggets, the Blazers need to get a professional, consistent home court referee performance, good energy, communication on O and D, more assists, rebounding, and some breaks to go with good swish3 shooting and some drives to the rim and more FTs. Go Blazers!
The Blazers badly lost the swish3 contest scoring 6 of 36 (a season low 16.7%!) vs the Denver Nuggets 12 of 37 in the Feb 27 home court loss 92-124. This was a terrible game in which the Blazers did not play smart, did not show enough energy, and were outrebounded 42-55. There were many missed swish3s, layups, FT, and pass opportunities that reveal lack of communication and coordination. Winslow was missing in addition to Dame, Nurk, and the other 3 injured, and the Blazers were decisively outplayed. Brendon led scoring 2 of 5, Ben scored 2 of 6, Hughes scored 1 of 3, and Simons scored 1 of 9. Blevins was 0 of 1, Keon and Brown each were 0 of 2, Elleby was 0 of 3, and Hart was 0 of 5. The 36 missing points from failing to score 18 swish3s would have been enough to win the game. The upcoming game against the Suns now seems ominous, but for any chance the Blazers will need to bring consistent smart energy throughout the game, improve team communication and D, and make the swish3, layup, and FT shots. The 69% for FT is not enough!
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring 11 of 31 vs the Suns 14 of 36 in the Mar 2 loss 90-120 in Phoenix. This was a modest Blazer game against an NBA leading Suns performance with weak communication, defense, and too many TOs and flubbed plays. The Suns outrebounded the Blazers 46-35. The Blazers continue to be weak at scoring swish3s, layups, and FTs. Simons led scoring 3 of 4, Watford scored 2 of 2, Ben scored 2 of 6, Brandon scored 1 of 1, Blevins scored 1 of 2, Hart scored 1 of 5, and Hughes scored 1 of 6. Keon was 0 of 2, and Elleby was 0 of 3. The Blazers need more offense for a chance to win the 2 upcoming games in Minn on Sat and Mon. Let's imagine 18+ swish3s.
The Blazers won the swish3 contest scoring 16 of 38 vs the Minn Twolves 15 of 37 in the Mar 5 loss 121-135 in Minn. This was a 2nd half loss after the Blazers led after the 1st Q and at the half. The Blazers allowed the Twolves to score 46 pts in the 3rd Q, and did not recover. Only 8 Blazers were available to play due to injury, illness, or rest. Simons led scoring 9 of 17, Keon scored 3 of 5, and Ben and Brandon each scored 2 of 5, Elleby was 0 of 1, Watford was 0 of 2, and Blevins was 0 of 3. After a good 1st half, Blazers went cold on swish3 shooting and could not keep up with Twolve scoring. Keon scored 15 pts and had 5 assts in his first start. Drew scored 13 pts with 8 reb, Brandon scored 21 pts, Watford scored 12 pts with 14 reb and 4 assts, Elleby scored 9 pts and had 9 reb, and Blevins had 5 assts in his first start. The Blazers played hard, but the Twolves shot their season best 56.5 FG%. For a chance to win Mon, the Blazers need Hart and Winslow back to have at least 10 players, an energetic game, stronger team defense, and efficient shooting.
The Blazers badly lost the swish3 contest scoring 7 of 28 vs the Twolves 13 of 43 in the Mar 7 blowout loss 81-124. The Blazers scored only 1 of 10 in the 1st half, which was a reason for scoring a season-low 34 pts in the 1st half. The Blazers played poorly, outrebounded 42-67, with 17 TO, only 11 assts, and 10 missed FT. This was a 1st start for both Watford and Brandon, who had 27 pts, 8 reb, 2 assts, 4 stls, and a block in 33 min. Blevins led scoring 2 of 4, Brandon scored 2 of 7, Watford scored 1 of 1, Keon scored 1 of 4, and Hart scored 1 of 6. Ben, Hughes, and Brown were each 0 of 2. After the pathetic 1st half, there was no return for the outmanned Blazers, and the lead grew to the 43 pt final margin. This game was without Simons, and was a tough one for Drew and Watford, as the Twolves were bigger and more aggressive. Even if Simons returns, the Blazers have little chance for a win Wed against the Jazz, and will need 18+ swish3 scores to keep in the game. Let's hope that Brandon can keep up the energetic play and scoring!
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring 9 of 36 vs the Utah Jazz 17 of 46 in the Mar 9 blowout loss 85-123 in Utah. This was a poor shooting game for the Blazers, who didn't play well as a team and were outrebounded 36-50. This was a strong game for Watford who had 22 pts in 29 min. Keon led scoring 3 of 6, Elleby scored 2 of 2, Brown scored 1 of 1, Watford and Blevins each scored 1 of 4, and Ben scored 1 of 8. Hughes was 0 of 2, Brandon was 0 of 3, and Hart was 0 of 6. Keon and Brandon joined Watford in battling and showing flashes of energy. If the Blazers can add a few players and play together better, there may be a chance to not be blown out Sat against Washington. We need some better swish3 shooting which has lost the past 2 games (and the Nuggets game). Let's get back to 35%+ with a 18+ swish3 game!
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring 11 of 30 vs the Wash Wizards 14 of 34 in the Mar 12 win 127-118 in Portland. This was a career high 44 pt game for Josh Hart, and a high of 27 for Watford and 20 for Drew. Hart led scoring 6 of 9, Keon scored 2 of 3, Brown scored 1 of 2, Elleby scored 1 of 3, and Brendan scored 1 of 5. Drew was 0 of 1, Watford was 0 of 2, and Ben was 0 of 5. Although returning to 37% swish3 shooting is an improvement, the Blazers still need to aim for 18+ to stay in upcoming games,
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring 10 of 24 vs the ATL Hawks 12 of 48 in the Mar 14 loss 113-122 in Atlanta. After leading 67-58 at the half, the Blazers lost by 8 sloppy TO and scoring only 17 pts in the 3rd Q, allowing the Hawks to take the lead and the game. This was another strong performance for Hart, Watford, Brandon, and Drew, but there were just too many bad mistakes in the 2nd half and Young took over. 20 TO! Hart led scoring 4 of 7, Hughes scored 2 of 3, Watford scored 2 of 4, and Brandon scored 2 of 6. Drew, Elleby, Keon, and Dunn were each 0 of 1. After scoring 7 swish3s in the 1st half, the Blazers became offensively less potent with fewer tries and scored only 3 swish3s in the 2nd half. For a chance to stay in the game against the Knicks Wed, the Blazers need to again aim for scoring 18+ swish3s, as well as cleaning up the losses due to TO, especially live ball TO. The Blazers had a 22 pt off of TO deficit to drag them down in this game!
It would be nice to see Watford take more than four 3-point attempts in the next few games. That would be a valuable complement to him being able to dribble to the hoop or free-throw line. It'll also be valuable for him next season when he might be used as a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter.
The Blazers notably lost the swish3 contest scoring 11 of 34 vs the NY Knicks 16 of 38 in the Mar 16 loss 98-128 in NY. This was a weak game for the Blazers who did not use good communicating team defense, were outrebounded 41-47, missed a lot of open shots, and were punished by home court advantage referees who gave the Knicks 39 FTA in comparison to the Blazers 14 resulting in a 25 pt FT advantage. Ben led scoring 2 of 3, Hart and Brandon each scored 2 of 6, Dunn scored 1 of 1, Elleby and Keon each scored 1 of 2, Hughes scored 1 of 3, and Winslow scored 1 of 6. Brown and Blevins were each 0 of 1, and Watford was 0 of 3. The Blazers fell far short of the target 18 swish3s.
The Blazers won the swish3 contest scoring 13 of 35 vs the BKN Nets 10 of 25 in the Mar 18 loss 123-128 in NY. The Blazers led 75-62 at the half, but the referees intervened in the 3rd Q to give the usual NY home court advantage to give the Nets the lead. The Nets played tough physical ball in the 2nd half and were not called for a lot of obvious fouls while the Blazers were called for a number of touch or phantom fouls. The Nets scored 38 FT vs the Blazers 14 for the game. Ben led scoring 5 of 12, Brandon scored 3 of 7, Hart scored 3 of 8, Elleby scored 1 of 2, and Winslow scored 1 of 3. Dunn was 0 of 1 and Watford was 0 of 2. The Blazers allowed Seth Curry to score 7 of 11 swish3s. There was not enough Blazer swish3 shooting in the 2nd half. Let's aim for 18+ scored swish3s to have a chance in the Pacers and Pistons games Sun and Mon.
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring 9 of 33 vs the Pacers 15 of 35 in the Mar 20 loss 98-129 in Indiana. The Blazers were poor, sloppy, and low energy in this start to finish blowout loss to a weak team. Within 2 min, the Blazers allowed Hield to steal and score swish3s on our inbounds pass after a made Pacers basket! That is awful! The Blazers were outrebounded 32-41. Hart led scoring 3 of 5, Watford scored 2 of 3, Ben scored 2 of 9, Keon scored 1 of 3, and Ben scored 1 of 9. Drew, Elleby, Brown, and Hughes were each 0 of 1. Except for Hart, the Blazers did not show enough energy to be in this game. Let's hope for a better game against the Pistons Mon.
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring only 8 of 28 vs the Pistons 9 of 35 in the Mar 21 win 119-115 in Detroit. This was a game with energy and good plays, especially by Brandon, but also Drew, Watford, Elleby, Winslow, Dunn, and Ben with the Blazers leading most of the way. Ben led scoring 5 of 12, Elleby scored 2 of 3, and Hughes scored 1 of 3. Drew and Dunn were each 0 of 1, Winslow was 0 of 2, and Brandon and Keon were each 0 of 3. After scoring 6 in the 1st half, the Blazers scored only 2 in the 2nd half, and did not attempt enough swish3s, but won nonetheless with a lot of fast break and in the paint points. This was a nice win for Chauncey as his 1st head coach visit back to Detroit.
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring just 7 of 26 vs the SA Spurs 19 of 44 in the Mar 23 loss 96-133 on our home court. This was a weak game in which the Blazers allowed 81 pts in the 1st half, did not play together, had 16 sloppy TO, and were outrebounded 43-53. Drew had a season high 20 pts and 9 rebounds with 4 assts and Ben scored 23, but there was a deficit of offense. Ben led scoring 3 of 4, Drew scored 2 of 3, and Hughes scored 2 of 4. Blevins and Brown were each 0 of 1, Watford, Elleby, Winslow, and Keon were each 0 of 2, and Brandon was 0 of 5. The Spurs gave a demonstration of winning with the swish3, scoring 19, a 36 pt advantage!
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring 3 of 20 (15 %! the season low) vs the Houston Rockets 19 of 45 in the Mar 25 loss 106-125. This was a weak low energy game with an incredible number of missed open shots, sloppy TOs, uncoordinated O and D, and a loser mentality. Ben led scoring 2 of 7 and Elleby scored 1 of 2. Keon and Hughes were each 0 of 1, Brown and Blevins were each 0 of 2, and Brandon was 0 of 5. The Rockets 16 scored swish3 advantage gave there a 48 point advantage. The Blazers terrible swish3 shooting lost them this game. The Blazers only attempted about half of the swish3 attempts that they need to make to stay in the game.
Thanks, KSF-ERIC! Let's hope that's the last game the Blazers score less than 10 swish3s for a decade or better ever!
The Blazers lost the swish3 contest scoring 12 of 40 vs the Houston Rockets 15 of 35 in the Mar 26 loss 98-115 on our home court. This was an error prone game with too many TOs and poor hostile refereeing that the Blazers lost by not taking care of the ball. Both Watford and Brown were injured in this game. The double technical when Tate committed an aggressive flagrant against Drew was hogwash! Keon led scoring 4 of 9, Ben scored 2 of 4, Blevins scored 2 of 5, Elleby scored 2 of 6, Hughes scored 1 of 5, and Brandon scored 1 of 6. Drew, Dunn, and Brown were each 0 of 1, and Watford was 0 of 2. To be competitive against OKC Mon, the Blazers should aim to score 18+.
The Blazers tied in the swish3 contest scoring 20 of 50 vs OKC Thunder 20 of 45 in the Mar 28 loss 131-134 in OT on our home court. The Thunder were more efficient. This was a good game for Ben, Drew, and Brandon, and a notable effort with only 8 Blazers available. The Refs gave the Thunder a 9 pt FT advantage. Ben led scoring 8 of 18, Brandon scored 5 of 8, Keon scored 3 of 9, Blevins scored 2 of 7, Elleby scored 1 of 3, and Hughes scored 1 of 5. After giving up only 2 TO in the 1st half, the Blazers had 9 TO in the rest of the game. The Thunder outrebounded the Blazers 49-47, and had 32 assts vs the Blazers 28. Although the Blazers scored 20 swish3s, the defense was not sufficient, missing Watford and Brown. Let's hope for another 20+ swish3s for a chance to remain competitive against the NO Pelicans on Wed.
