After months of preparation, and 2 weeks of seeding video games inside the NBAs Disney World bubble, it all boiled down to the Portland Trail Blazers matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday night. And after an unbelievable back-and-forth game, the Blazers clinched a spot in the play-in series with a 134-133 win. Portland will now satisfy Memphis, and the Grizzlies have to beat the Blazers twice to advance to the very first round to take on the Lakers..
Win, and the Blazers advanced to the play-in, lose, and the Suns would have been in. Damian Lillard, after everything hes done in the bubble, wasnt letting the latter happen.
It was another amazing performance by Lillard, but Caris LeVert nearly broke the Blazers hearts. The young Brooklyn guard was excellent in his own right, going for 37 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, but his potential game-winner clanged off the back of the rim– conserving Portland and ending Phoenixs season..
Here are some key takeaways from the video game:.
Sports jackets win, theyre in.
The seeding video games in fact end on Friday, but Thursday was the last genuinely meaningful day, as the four teams combating for two spots in the Western Conference were all in action. Early on, the Phoenix Suns beat the Dallas Mavericks to complete 8-0 in the bubble, but they still required help. They didnt get any from the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Memphis Grizzlies travelled past a Giannis Antetokounmpo-less squad to clinch an area in the play-in series..
With wins by the Suns and Grizzlies, the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated prior to they could even take the court, ending their exceptional 22-year playoff streak. Therefore, heading into the last video game of the night, the scenario that started out quite complicated early in the day became exceptionally clear-cut..
It was go or win house for the Blazers, and they did the job– barely, but they got it done. Even more essential than just making the play-in, the Blazers leapt past the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the procedure. Thats big, since it means the Blazers have to win just when to clinch the playoff berth, while the Grizzlies will now have to beat them two times in a row..
Dame does it once again.
They have not revealed the Kia NBA Player of the Seeding Games– corporate branding on awards is so cool– yet, but theres no question its going to be Damian Lillard. The male was an absolute force of nature over the past couple of weeks, basically willing the Blazers into the play-in by himself..
Thursday night was no various. The Blazers were bent on getting the ball out of his hands, trapping him early in the very first quarter when he came off pick-and-rolls, and presuming regarding double-team him at midcourt by the 4th quarter. And it just didnt matter. There were certainly extends where he went peaceful, but when he turned it on there was absolutely 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 video game in any circumstance, let alone an elimination game where youre facing continuous double teams. Overall, he was accountable for 69 of the Blazers 134 points– over half of them..
On a night like that, there are so many things you can highlight, but absolutely nothing was more remarkable than his 3-point shooting. He hit some outrageous shots from the corner, and at one point early in the 4th quarter pulled up with his heels on the NBA logo design at midcourt. It was simply an unbelievable showing..
And after an incredible back-and-forth video game, the Blazers clinched an area in the play-in series with a 134-133 win. Win, and the Blazers advanced to the play-in, lose, and the Suns would have been in. It was go or win home for the Blazers, and they got the task done– barely, but they got it done. Even more crucial than simply making the play-in, the Blazers jumped past the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the process. The Blazers were intent on getting the ball out of his hands, trapping him early in the first quarter when he came off pick-and-rolls, and going so far as to double-team him at midcourt by the fourth quarter.
Blazers control second-chance points.
Lillard was undoubtedly the primary story in this video game, as theres no possibility the Blazers even come close to winning without him. Nevertheless, there were other things going on down in Orlando, and among the biggest was the Blazers supremacy in terms of second-chance points..
The Nets entered the bubble missing a variety of essential gamers, and among the most significant obstacles for the group that did decrease to Orlando was a lack of size; Jarrett Allen was the only healthy player over 6-foot-9. While playing so little was an increase for their offense, it also made them susceptible on the glass– in specific on the defensive end, where Allens fondness for chasing blocks often leaves him out of position for rebounds..
Portland took advantage of that weak point in a significant way, grabbing 14 offensive rebounds. More importantly, they transformed on those additional chances, scoring 29 big second-chance points, which wasnt simply a season-high, but the most second-chance points theyve had in a game considering that 2014. When you allow a group to shoot 55 percent from the field as the Blazers did, you have to discover a method to keep up, and the Blazers did so on the glass..
