Blazers earn much-needed rest with heavy hearts
Nurk 22 points and 21 rebound after his grandmother's death, while CJ made huge plays with a broken back
Experience matters in the NBA and as Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies were playing in the biggest game of their young NBA careers, the Trail Blazers showed the young Grizz on a big stage that there is still a little bit to learn. Damian Lillard commanded the attention of the Grizzlies defense and had a below-average scoring output of ONLY 31 points and 10 assists, but as the Grizzlies sold out to stop him, the rest of the crew came through, with every member of the finishing five contributing their own iconic entries for Blazers fans.
Jusuf Nurkić, playing with the heaviest of hearts after his grandmother Hana passed away due to COVID-19, delivered perhaps the biggest performance of his career with 22 points and 21 rebounds and a couple of 3-pointers. As Memphis sold out to get the ball out of Dame’s hands, Portland gave the keys of the offense to CJ McCollum, who put the Grizzlies on Island Standard Time. After the game had been decided, Portland’s No. 2 and No. 3 embraced each other.
But while Nurk and CJ get top billing today alongside Dame, the Blazers proved their best five can meet any challenge. Gary Trent Jr. made two huge steals on the Grizzlies in the 4th quarter and also hit a big 3-pointer with the confidence, Lillard said after the game, of a sniper. And then Carmelo Anthony, as he has been wont to do in the bubble, hit another crucial 3-pointer to help Portland get a little bit more room to breathe. And more importantly, a day of rest.
This was a game where, above all else, Portland had another performance in which their best five-man unit was validated, knowing that regardless, they’re ready to go no matter what happens before. No matter who is across from them at present. If you think they need to finish with another crew, I don’t know what to tell you. Trent had gone cold for the past 2 and 3/4 of a game, but his 3-pointer was timely. Melo, on a rough night from deep, came through in the most important moment because that’s just what he does.
“Whether it was Memphis the first game, Houston, the game he had 26, he just fills in, does what he needs to do, we called a few plays for him, but he knows how to play. His presence in the bubble was pretty obvious,” Terry Stotts said about Melo’s steady hand in the clutch. “It was obvious when we got him in November, he’s become an integral part of the team. And his experience on the big stage, it matters.”
Now the Blazers can finally prepare for the Lakers and rest their wounds for an extra day, both physical and mental. Of course, Nurk is going through a lot and McCollum’s back has been a source of concern. But we also have to realize that this team has been going into every game over the last two weeks with their playoff lives changing dramatically based on the result.
The Lakers won’t be in the mood to feel bad, but things for Portland would have been even more precarious had they not won today. Now they get to rest their bodies, but they also, for the first time, get a full day to rest their brains without worrying about a gameplan the next day.
Portland had an opportunity not to be extra tired going into a playoff game. An opportunity not to have to play for their playoff lives. They took it. And while this team is still pretty new in their journey together, how they stepped up to win a game that wouldn’t have been an elimination game, after only knowing a reality in which they play for their lives, shows that with pain comes growth.