Game Thread Game #5 BLAZERS VS. CLIPPERS - OCTOBER 29, 2021 - FRIDAY, 7:00 PM, ROOT SPORTS

Postgame Notes – October 29, 2021

Portland 111, LA Clippers 92

Game #5, Home Game #4



TEAM

• The Trail Blazers tied the season series against the Clippers, 1-1.

• Portland snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Clippers, beating Los Angeles for the first time since March 12, 2019.

• Portland won consecutive games for the first time this season.

• The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Clippers, 63-43, including a 16-6 margin on the offensive glass.

• Portland had 21 second chance points to the Clippers’ eight.

• The Trail Blazers made 19 three-pointers (of 41) while the Clippers connected on 15-of-42 three-pointers.


PLAYER

• Jusuf Nurkic recorded his second double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points (6-14 FG, 2-4 FT), a season-high 17 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.

• Damian Lillard scored a season-high 25 points (9-17 FG, 5-7 3-PT, 2-2 FT) to go with four rebounds, six assists and one steal.

• CJ McCollum added 14 points (6-18 FG, 2-7 3-PT), one rebound, one assist, one steal and two blocks. McCollum has recorded at least one steal and one block in all five games to start the season.

• Larry Nance Jr. corralled double-digit rebounds for the first time this season, finishing with three points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.

• Cody Zeller logged nine points (3-7 FG, 3-5 3-PT) and seven boards in 17 minutes.

• After missing two games with left patellar tendinopathy, Norman Powell returned to action, recording 12 points (4-10 FG, 4-6 3-PT), three rebounds, one assist and one block in 24 minutes.

• In 21 minutes, Nassir Little had eight points (2-7 FG, 2-3 3-PT, 2-2 FT) and eight rebounds.

• Robert Covington recorded nine points, eight rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes.

• Paul George led the Clippers with a season-high 42 points (15-24 FG, 6-9 3-PT, 6-9 FT) to go with eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.

• Luke Kennard paced Clippers’ bench with 16 points (6-15 FG, 4-11 3-PT), four rebounds and one assist in 33 minutes.

 

HEAD COACH CHAUNCEY BILLUPS


On Damian Lillard’s play tonight…

“Yeah, it was good to see some shots going down for him, just actually normal shots that he makes. You guys have been spoiled up here, seeing that every single night. That’s rare, it’s rare for a dude to be able to hit shots like that from the places that he hits it from and the accuracy that he hits it with. So, it was good to see some go down for him.”


“The thing about Dame, as y’all know, whatever he’s got going on, he doesn’t wear it. He’s the same guy on his great days and on his not-so-great days he handles adversity and prosperity the same way. It’s a beautiful thing about him—the great ones do. But let’s be honest, we’re all human. Nobody wants to struggle at something that they’re really, really good at over even a small amount of time. So, the fact that he’s honest enough to share that—it speaks volumes about who he is.”


On tonight’s defensive approach …

“I was very pleased with our defense. I really was. I was pleased with our approach—I thought we came to compete tonight. We didn’t have a lot of lapses in our defense other than when they picked up the pressure and tried to get back into the game. That was more offensively. They started playing really fast, because our half-court defense, I thought, kind of bothered them. But yeah man, I was happy with what we did defensively and on the offensive glass. I mean, you get 16 offensive rebounds. I just love how hard we played.”


On tonight’s game compared to Monday’s game against the Clippers…

“Monday offered us an opportunity to see how bad we could be when we turn the basketball over; how bad we can be when we don’t start off the game focused on competing on every play. So it was a great teaching game for us to be able to look at it and say, “Well, they’re not going to let us catch the ball.” I mean, our two teams, we run a lot of the same plays, so when I call a play they know where we’re going to try to get the ball. But guess what? When they call up a play, we know where they’re trying to catch the ball. Why would we let them catch the ball there? So, it was just a teachable game and that’s just to say that every single game is a different challenge. Without competing, no matter what we draw up, what defense we’re in; we don’t compete, we’re going to get beat.”

 

NORMAN POWELL


On team’s progress on defense…

“I feel really good about it. I think everybody's really locking in. You know, especially after the first game against the Clippers. We didn’t bring the right energy, the right focus, taking away what they want to do and challenge. Let us know about it. We saw the film. Defense is about our energy, our effort and being together and I think guys are starting to realize that, holding each other accountable. Talking in and out the huddle about what we want to do, different schemes, making sure the rotation is the right. Guys are making a second and third effort. Even sometimes a one effort thing, it’s a two, three efforts, you know, to really stop penetration, stop guys from getting open looks. We did that. We fought over screens. We were physical. Made the mark.”


On if Portland’s defense is further along than the offense right now…

“I think it's a game by game thing. Sometimes the offense looks really good and the defense isn't as great. Sometimes the defense is really good and you know, the offense isn’t great. I think guys are still getting their read and things down, where shots are coming from, reading the offense, and you know where to swing the ball and getting in rhythm. You know, it's early. Guys are going to start getting used to it, figuring it out. I think we've been doing a good job just staying with it not getting discouraged when either we're not making shots or we’re turning the ball over. We’re still trying to you know make the right read, make the right play. We continue to do that, shots are going to come, guys are going to feel more comfortable and balls going to start going in.”


On where the team is still figuring it out…

“Just rotations, playing second side of the ball. I think in previous years, its really iso-ball dominant with Dame and CJ, pick and roll. We’re starting to play a lot through Nurk [Jusuf Nurkic], decision making, a free-flowing offense, getting out in transition, trying to get easy buckets. Like I said, playing second side of the floor, more ball movement, and then just calling a screen up and letting guys go to work. We’re great at it. We’re going to need it. But you know, trying to get more guys involved, make the defense work a little more, mess them up on different reads that Chauncey sees, mismatches. I think we’re doing a great job of staying with it.”


On Cody Zeller and Larry Nance Jr. in the second half...

“Yeah. I mean, I really like it. Them two, Nas [Nassir Little], Ant [Anfernee Simons], the energy they play with, defensively, is really good. I think that fuels them. Offensively, moving the ball, getting good looks, attacking, being aggressive. Ant didn’t shoot it necessarily well today, 2-for-11. But you know, he's taking great looks and the ball is moving. In that second unit guys are playing hard and it's tough when you got a second unit coming in with that energy defensively, really wearing those guys down. I think it fuels the whole team.”

 

HEAD COACH TYRONN LUE


On what went right for Paul George…

“He took good shots. I think he was aggressive early, made some shots early as well. He also made the right play and made the right passes, but we just can’t wear him down. We just have to do a better job of helping him out and have other guys making the right plays and we aren’t making shots. We started off six-for-six [from three] and the rest of the [first] half we went three-for-eighteen. The team just has to continue taking good shots. I like our defense, I thought we were really aggressive until Dame [Damian Lillard] got hot in the last six minutes in the quarter but overall, we did some good things.”

On keeping Nicolas Batum and Paul George fresh while missing Kawhi [Leonard], Serge [Ibaka], and Marcus [Morris Sr.] …

“I think the second unit just [needs] to come in and move the basketball. Playing through Luke [Kennard] and Reggie [Jackson] in the second unit. Reggie didn’t quite have the night he wanted tonight but I thought Luke struggled making shots. We came out first half and second half making shots. We’re still trying to find that flow once PG [Paul George] goes to the bench.”

On the third quarter run where the Clippers cut the lead to five points…

“I just thought our energy picked up. Our bench came in - our starters came in a little sluggish tonight – so our bench came in and did some great things. I think they play well together, we got stops, we were able to get out in transition and rebounding. We had a good third quarter scoring the basketball and we were able to make some shots as well.”

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CLIPPERS FORWARD PAUL GEORGE

On how he can keep the team going after starting the season 1-4…

“I think more than anything, just the energy we play with that’s the only thing we got to come out with. I thought our energy changed and that’s what got us back into the game. We got to start putting stops together, that’s what it has to be with a lot of guys down. We got to show that we are winning team, but we got to maximize what we have, and our energy and effort has to get a little better.”

On what adjustment the team has to make to get guys easier shots…

“[We have to] get stops and rebounds. We are playing against loaded teams a lot, so get stops, get out, and play a little faster in transition. And rebounding, rebounding gives us another chance to get easy points in transition then we get guys good looks, guys good shots. Then when we play in the half-court, [our] shots get a little easier because they got easy ones in transition”

On how he can communicate to his teammates about keeping the season in perspective…

“I think everybody’s aware we are only five games in. We got some growing pains and some things to work through. I know we got a lot of guys from last year on the sidelines [injured], so we got some things to work through – it’s no secret. We have to feel good about where we are at in terms of the season is still early. As long as we can make those adjustments, the adjustments we need to make going down the rest of the season, hopefully it goes in our favor. But again, it’s two things: effort and energy are the things we can control.”