Portland’s first loss of the season came against Memphis, and Deni Avdija and head coach Micah Nori pointed to lapses in team execution on a difficult shooting night.
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The Portland Trail Blazers opened their season with strong stretches of shared offence, but their first loss came against the Memphis Grizzlies as the team’s shot-making dipped and its play became less connected.
Deni Avdija said the game served as a test of what happens when everything is not “clicking” as well. “I’d say today wasn’t really a loss, it was more of a learning experience for us,” Avdija told reporters. He added that the Blazers could “look at this game, watch film” and improve, including himself. Avdija missed all four of his threes while still recording 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Portland’s head coach Micah Nori said he does not expect frequent poor shooting from deep and the free-throw line, but he pointed to the way missed shots affected the team’s decision-making. “We weren’t making shots and then I felt like we didn’t trust it as much anymore, we tried to force some things and play a little bit of one-on-one,” Nori said. He credited the opposition for the pressure of adversity while insisting the team could do more to respond collectively.
Nori linked the team’s stagnant look offensively to pressure from possessions that became harder to sustain. Portland shot 24.5 percent from three-point range and 65.4 percent from the free-throw line in the loss.
Turnovers compounded the problems. Portland did not set a season high with 16 giveaways, but the Blazers allowed the most points off those mistakes this season, with Memphis scoring 23 points off Portland’s turnovers. Nori said the Blazers also let missed shots carry over into other areas of the game, including rebounding.
That showed on the glass, where Portland was outrebounded for the first time this season, losing the rebounding battle 54-45. While Nori acknowledged that Robert Williams being out was a factor, he said it was “no excuse” and emphasized that the guards needed to help more. “Donovan is down there – they’ve got some bigs, that’s what they do they crash – and he’s down there working. We have to get some smalls more involved,” Nori told reporters.
Avdija also addressed the notion that he should carry the offence on nights when outside shots do not fall. He said he would keep trusting teammates and the game plan, including giving Damian Lillard shooting opportunities and allowing Ja Morant to attack the rim. “Sometimes it’s kind of your nature to take more responsibility and be more aggressive, but you know what? I trust my teammates,” Avdija said. “I’m gonna keep kicking it out, let Dame shoot his shots, let Ja attack the rim… When we need a bucket… sure, I’ll be aggressive.”
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