The Portland Trail Blazers’ Wednesday road matchup against the Utah Jazz took place in April, but it had more of a Summer League feel for the first 3.5 quarters. That was to be expected for Game 80 of the regular season between two teams with injury-decimated rosters that had already been eliminated from postseason play.
Then Wednesday’s conclusion got so wacky, so goofy, so twisty that — against all odds — this somehow ended up being one of the most compelling games of Portland’s season.
All that’s left to decide in the twilight hours of Portland’s regular season is where the Blazers fall in the NBA Draft Lottery standings. If you were watching this game with that aspect in mind, the crunch-time action had the effect of a gambler’s high, and the outcome brought a sweet, sugary, Cookie Crisp-coated payoff: a 133-126 Blazers loss in overtime. That result came despite the fact Portland held a 113-110 lead with possession of the ball with 19.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
The loss means Portland remains tied with the Phoenix Suns for the ninth spot in the lottery, with both clubs sporting 35-45 records with two games left. Had the Blazers held on to win, they’d have fallen to 10th and would’ve been just a perilous half-game ahead of the 11th-place Miami Heat.
Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe looked like the best player on the floor Wednesday, leading all scorers with a career-high 37 points on 13-23 shooting. Jazz rookie center Kyle Filipowski also looked impressive with a team-high 30 points on 13-17 shooting and 18 rebounds. Now let’s dive deeper into the factors that determined the game.
Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory
The Blazers appeared to have this win in the bank multiple times in the final 45 seconds of regulation, but stubbed their toe far too often en route to the finish line. Let’s break down those toe stubs: Sharpe went to the free throw line with 38 seconds remaining and the Blazers leading, 112-110; he made the first, missed the second, but Portland got the rebound; it led to a missed Sharpe 3-pointer with about 20 seconds left, but the miss went out of bounds off Utah; Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle turned over the ensuing inbounds pass, leading to a breakaway dunk for Filipowski with 14.5 seconds left.
Okay, even after that, Portland still holds a 113-112 lead and the ball. Then: Sharpe misses two free throws; after a timeout, Utah forward Johnny Juzang airballs an open corner 3; then it’s Portland forward Jabari Walker’s turn to shoot free throws; he splits a pair; after another timeout, Filipowski drives for a dunk off the inbounds play and ties the game at 114-114 with 2.8 seconds left.
Okay, even after all that, the Blazers still have the ball, some time, and a timeout to go try to win it: Off a clever inbounds play, the ball finds forward Toumani Camara sealing his man in the paint; he turns over his right shoulder for a good look at a baby hook; the ball lingers on the rim for a moment and dances off.
The Blazers had so many chances to secure a win in regulation. They didn’t, and then Utah took charge late in overtime, which brings us to the next topic…
Are the Blazers Sorta Tanking?
Following Portland’s failed attempt to win in regulation, head coach Chauncey Billups subbed out starters Sharpe and Camara for all of OT. Was this an attempt at tanking the game for those lottery odds mentioned above? Was this just an example of Portland trying to protect the health of two key players who had each logged over 32 minutes in a late-season game that didn’t matter much? A mix of both answers? I genuinely don’t know anymore considering how the Blazers have handled substitutions lately. Last Friday, Portland similarly subbed out key players in the closing minutes of a close game against the Chicago Bulls, possibly pulling a tank job. Then with a similar opportunity against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, the Blazers kept their starters in down the stretch and pushed for the win. Then in this game against Utah, the Blazers pushed for the win with their best available players util the end of regulation, but then handed OT over to the bench squad. What’s the meaning of all this!? What does it mean for substitution patterns in Portland’s final two games over the weekend? It’s hard to tell at this moment.
Time to Shine
One nice part about these late-season, injury-plagued games is deep bench players get their time in the limelight. Blazers second-year forward Rayan Rupert made good use of his 34 minutes against Utah, posting 19 points on 7-17 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. He struggled to find his 3-point shot (1-7 from deep), but he showcased some nice drives and got to the free throw line, where he went 4-5. While we’ve seen more of Jabari Walker this season compared with Rupert, Walker still got extended run against the Jazz and provided impactful production. In 33 minutes, Walker produced 15 points on 7-11 shooting and seven rebounds.
‘Tisse Found a Crease!
Blazers wing Matisse Thybulle also played a great game, but not with his usual defensive wizardry (although he did register two steals). Thybulle went 5-6 for 12 points and six assists while shooting 5-6 from the field and 2-3 from deep. He almost propelled the Blazers to the win himself with seven huge fourth-quarter points. Two of those points came on a nasty poster dunk over Jazz center Micah Potter. The highlight prompted an “Apologies, I wasn’t familiar with your game” reaction from me on my living room couch. It also prompted Blazer’s Edge reader Chiweenie to exclaim, “‘Tisse found a crease!!!!” in the GameDay Thread, supplying the title of this section header.
Thank You Letters
For the BE readers invested in Portland’s pursuit of better lottery odds, you all owe a great debt to several Utah Jazz players for their contributions to this important Portland loss. This section is dedicated to them. Thank you letters are in order for Filipowski, who was monumental for Utah with his 30 points and clutch bucket to force OT; Utah forward Brice Sensabaugh, who kept the Jazz alive in the fourth quarter with multiple big 3s on his way to 22 points; and Jazz guard Keyonte George, who knocked down two 3s late in OT to put the nail in the coffin. If by some miracle the Blazers do win the NBA Draft Lottery this May, these three gentlemen must be guests of honor at the future Championship Parade. Reserve prime seating for them on the pinwheel float.
Up Next
The Blazers return home for the weekend for their final two games at the Moda Center. Portland plays the Golden State Warriors Friday at 7 p.m. Pacific and then wrap things up Sunday afternoon with a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
