Tag: Portland

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NBA (Basketball)

Jamal Murray drops a career-best 55 points, leading the Nuggets to victory over the Trail Blazers in Denver

Jamal Murray looks to pass the ball in the 2nd half

The only thing hotter than Jamal Murray’s shooting on Wednesday night might have been his temper.

The Denver guard was still upset with the Portland Trail Blazers after being ejected for trash-talking on Monday. When he faced them again two days later, Murray let his play do the talking, scoring a career-high 55 points to lead the Nuggets to a 132-121 victory.

“They (the Trail Blazers) shouldn’t have done that,” said Nuggets forward Zeke Nnaji about the trash talk. “When he’s mad, there’s no one that can stop him.”

Murray brought out his “Playoff Murray” form in Denver’s last game before the All-Star break. He was tough to defend when he helped the Nuggets win their first NBA championship in 2023, and he was just as hard to stop on Wednesday. He hit one long-range shot after another, scoring 30 points in the first half. When the Trail Blazers adjusted their defense in the second half, Murray made changes, too, attacking the basket.

Murray finished the game 20 of 36 from the field, including seven 3-pointers. His 55 points are the third-highest in franchise history, only behind David Thompson’s 73 points in 1978 and Nikola Jokic’s 56 points in 2023. In the ABA, Spencer Haywood had a 59-point game for the Denver Rockets in 1970.

“He was just ultra-aggressive tonight,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “As a coach, watching one of your players have that type of game, just so proud of him and happy for him. He’s been playing at a high level for us, and tonight was his best game ever from a numbers standpoint.”

Murray was fired up after his ejection in Denver’s 146-117 win over the Blazers on Monday. He got a technical foul in the third quarter and another in the fourth after trash-talking following a three-point play with a free throw.

Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers (NBA)

That ejection gave him motivation for Wednesday’s game.

“It’s just all competitive spirit,” Murray said. “I came ready to play. Especially just being used to the playoffs and playing the same team over and over, they know your plays, and things get chippy when you have to see them again. That factor made me ready to go. I was truly prepared today.”

For his big performance, Murray received the game ball signed by all of his teammates. He brought it to the postgame press conference.

“It’s just years of chemistry with those guys,” Murray said. “They know me. I know them, and tonight was just them looking out for me. I know I shot the ball well, but I brought the ball up here just because I couldn’t do it without them. That’s why we’re such a good team.”

His performance took the spotlight, but Nikola Jokic also had a great game, with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his 25th triple-double of the season.

Murray showed he could do it all, even though he’s been dealing with nagging injuries this season, such as left knee and hamstring inflammation and a sprained right ankle.

“I feel the same,” he said. “I’ve been the same person, same player, for years now. I came in ready to go today. I was hopping before the game started, and that’s just because of the last game.”

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NBA (Basketball)

The young Portland Trail Blazers are exceeding expectations with a six-game winning streak

Portland Trail Blazers players celebrates after the win

The Portland Trail Blazers, once known for their downcast faces after losses, are now celebrating with chest bumps and high fives as they ride a surprising six-game winning streak.

They’ve won six straight games and 10 of their last 11, leading to some early talk about making the playoffs. While playoff hopes might be premature, the team is definitely having fun.

What was expected to be another rebuilding season has turned into something more promising. The Blazers are now 23-29, already surpassing last year’s win total of 21. Though still in 13th place in the Western Conference, they are getting closer to the play-in spots with 30 games left.

“It’s fun, not only with the wins and losses, but the way we’re playing,” said guard Scoot Henderson. “That’s really fun, the way we’re playing together and sticking together.”

The Blazers are just four games behind the eighth-place Dallas Mavericks, with other teams like the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs competing for similar spots.

Their most recent win came Thursday night at home against Sacramento. Anfernee Simons scored 30 points, including eight three-pointers, and the Blazers held on for a 108-102 victory.

The team’s ability to handle pressure and focus in the final moments is new for Portland, as is the improvement in their defense, which has ranked near the top of the league over the past 11 games.

“We know that that’s the way that we’re going to be able to compete with all of these teams,” said coach Chauncey Billups. “We got to be flying around.”

The last time the Blazers won this many games in a row was in the 2017-18 season when they won 13 straight games.

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups in the 2nd half

Before the 2023-24 season, Portland traded star Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and committed to a rebuilding project. They focused on developing young players like Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. They also added key players like Deni Avdija and draft pick Donovan Clingan, joining veterans Jerami Grant and DeAndre Ayton.

Billups, now in his third season with the team, has worked on developing the younger players and getting them to work as a team.

“We’ve got so many guys contributing and playing well, no longer do guys think about who is getting it done, it’s `Let’s make sure it gets done.’ Nobody’s really caring about who’s scoring the most, who’s closing the game, who’s starting. Nobody’s worried about that. Whatever we say we’re trying to do, let’s just try our best to do it.”

The team’s shift began with a meeting in late December.

“Coach asked us, one by one, if each of us is able to be held accountable. And we all said yes, and from then on, it’s been like that, we’ve been playing together, playing well, and sharing the ball,” Henderson said.

There’s still plenty of season left, and the Blazers’ current hot streak likely won’t last forever. However, there’s a quiet optimism that Portland could break its three-year playoff drought.

Last season, the Blazers lost 15 of their last 17 games, setting their sights on the NBA draft lottery.

General manager Joe Cronin didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline, saying the winning streak wasn’t the reason. He mentioned that no potential trades made sense for the team in the long run.

When asked if setting a playoff goal for the team would be fair, Cronin said, “I think it’d be unfair to take it away from them. I’m so proud and so excited about these guys that the sky’s the limit, like ‘Go guys, go win. Let’s see what you can do.’ And I’m here to support it.”

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NBA (Basketball)

Kings aim to bounce back from ‘unacceptable’ performance against Blazers in Sacramento

Sacramento Kings (NHL)

Sacramento Kings interim coach Doug Christie was direct about his team’s performance before their game against the in-form Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.

The Kings were beaten 130-111 at home by the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, which was the first game in a back-to-back set.

Christie was unhappy with how his team played on both ends of the court. He knows the Kings will need to improve in several areas when they face the Blazers, who are currently on a five-game winning streak.

“Unacceptable in a lot of different ways, especially on the defensive end,” Christie said. “Must, must be better. Must, must play with the level of energy, intensity, physicality, and aggressiveness that I want to see and (that) I think they’ve begun to expect from themselves. That wasn’t it.”

“You can use all the different excuses. I’m not going to do that — 19 turnovers for 28 points (conceded) — unacceptable. (Shooting) 51 percent for them from the 3-point line — unacceptable.”

Zach LaVine scored 13 points in his Sacramento debut, making 4-of-13 shots from the field, after being traded from Chicago.

Christie acknowledged that there would be an adjustment period for LaVine, but he wasn’t using LaVine’s first game with the team as an excuse for the Kings’ poor performance.

“That’s part of what’s going to happen,” Christie said. “We have to find our way. As a unit, they have to feel Zach out, Zach has to feel them out. But I’m not using any of that as an excuse.”

On Wednesday, Sacramento acquired backup center Jonas Valanciunas from Washington in exchange for Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks.

Valanciunas had previously played with DeMar DeRozan in Toronto and with Domantas Sabonis on Lithuania’s 2016 Olympic team.

Portland Trail Blazers vs Sacramento Kings (NBA)

“It’s great. I’m excited,” said Sabonis, who had 21 points and 13 rebounds against the Magic.

“A fellow countryman with me. He’s all about this culture — he’s tough, he plays every game, I think he’s going to help us a lot off the bench. I know he’s going to play his heart out.”

Valanciunas could make his Kings debut against Portland, who will be without guard Matisse Thybulle due to an ankle injury.

The Blazers have won nine of their last 10 games, most recently defeating Indiana 112-89 on Tuesday. Anfernee Simons scored 22 points and Jerami Grant added 20 in the win.

Portland led by six points midway through the fourth quarter before finishing strong, outscoring the Pacers 30-13.

“Leads like this that are 10-12 points, they go away so fast in the NBA,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “But the way our defense is humming, when teams are playing against us — at least in particular now – that lead probably feels like a 20-something-point lead. It’s been tough to score on us.”

“That’s been my vision the entire time. I want to be that team that nobody wants to play against. Even when you come in and play well and win, you’ve had to fight so hard for that win, you have to go earn that. That’s what I want us to be at all times, home or on the road. I want teams to earn their keep against us. And we’re doing that right now.”

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Trail Blazers dominate at home with a comfortable win over the Pacers in Portland

Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers

Anfernee Simons scored 22 points and had seven assists, while Jerami Grant contributed 20 points as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Indiana Pacers 112-89 on Tuesday night.

Scoot Henderson recorded 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, and Shaedon Sharpe added 17 points and three steals. With this win, the Trail Blazers extended their home dominance, securing their fifth straight victory and their ninth win in the past 10 games. Six of those nine wins came by double digits.

Toumani Camara contributed 13 points for Portland, which never trailed in the game and won its 15th out of the last 16 home games against Indiana.

Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 17 points, while Pascal Siakam added 16. The Pacers had their four-game win streak snapped and lost for only the third time in their last 15 games. T.J. McConnell scored 14 points, and Bennedict Mathurin chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds. Indiana’s six-game road win streak was also halted, just one game shy of their franchise record.

Portland shot 44.6% from the field and made 14 of 37 three-pointers (37.8%). Robert Williams III grabbed 11 rebounds, helping the Blazers out-rebound the Pacers 51-39. The Pacers shot 42% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, making only 5 of 24 three-pointers (20.8%).

Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers

After leading by seven at halftime, Portland saw Indiana close the gap to just one point early in the second half. However, the Trail Blazers responded with an 11-0 run, which started with a dunk by Williams and a three-pointer by Deni Avdija. Sharpe then had two dunks, and Portland’s lead grew to 64-52.

Consecutive dunks from Camara and Deandre Ayton pushed the lead to 71-56 by the third quarter’s end. Portland entered the final period leading 78-66, and though Indiana closed the gap to 82-76, the Blazers responded with a 9-0 run led by Simons and Henderson.

Simons and Grant hit back-to-back three-pointers to stretch the lead to 101-81, and Portland’s lead peaked at 25 points. Simons scored 12 points in the first half, giving Portland a 45-38 lead at the break. Mathurin and Siakam both had 10 points for Indiana in the first half.

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NBA (Basketball)

Pacers aim for seventh consecutive road win in Portland against the red-hot Trail Blazers

Indiana Pacers (NBA)

The Indiana Pacers are trying to match their longest road winning streak in franchise history, but Portland might not be the best place for them to do it.

Not only are the red-hot Trail Blazers on a four-game winning streak and have won eight of their last nine games, but the Pacers have lost 14 of their past 15 games in Portland. The only win during this stretch was on January 14, 2021, when there were no fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pacers are hoping to match their franchise record of seven straight road wins, set at the start of the 2003-04 season, which was the same year Reggie Miller’s career was winding down in Indiana and Rick Carlisle was in his first stint as the Pacers’ coach.

Indiana is in position to tie the record thanks to a thrilling 112-111 road win over the Utah Jazz on Monday.

“It’s one of the best wins of the year considering the circumstances and how we shot the ball,” Carlisle said after the game.

The Pacers were down by 12 points midway through the fourth quarter but went on a 14-1 run to overtake the Jazz. This came despite being outrebounded 60-37 and hitting only 10 of 42 three-pointers.

“This speaks to the maturity and growth of our group,” said Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ star. “Because the last couple of years, if we don’t make shots, we get blown out.”

Pascal Siakam scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, including a dunk with 5.1 seconds left that made it a two-possession game.

And just like that, the Pacers had an unlikely win.

Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves

“It was just hard to get to the hump throughout the game, let alone get over the hump,” Carlisle said. “If you’re watching the game as a Pacers fan, you’re thinking, ‘It’s not going to happen tonight.’ But our guys kept saying let’s hang around and give ourselves a chance.”

Indiana has now won four straight and 12 of its last 14 games, as they try again to beat Portland, where they haven’t won in front of fans since November 28, 2007.

Portland, however, is one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. Just a couple of weeks ago, they were 15 games below .500, but they’ve won five double-digit games since then.

On Monday, the Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns 121-119 in overtime, completing a two-game sweep of Phoenix. They had also routed the Suns 127-108 on Saturday.

Deandre Ayton, who was the No. 1 overall pick by Phoenix in 2018, had a standout performance in the two games. He averaged 24.5 points and grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds on Monday, with nine of those coming on the offensive glass.

“When the shot goes up on our end, I had the chance to really chase these boards,” Ayton said after scoring more than 20 points for the fifth game in a row. “And let us have daggers and put us in position to win.”

Ayton also made five of six free throws in the final 7.8 seconds of overtime.

“I think this might have been D.A.’s best all-around game,” said Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. “Everything, all across the board, and being able to close it out with the clutch free throws.”

Indiana’s center Myles Turner, who is dealing with an ankle injury, missed the game against Utah and is listed as questionable for the game in Portland.

The Pacers had beaten the Trail Blazers 121-114 at home on November 27. Siakam scored 29 points for Indiana, while Anfernee Simons had 30 for Portland.

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NBA (Basketball)

The Suns will face the red-hot Trail Blazers again in Phoenix

Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers have been playing great basketball recently, and the Phoenix Suns got a close look at that on Saturday.

Now, the Suns will get another chance when they visit Portland for the second game of their two-game set on Monday night.

In the first matchup, Portland won 127-108, leading by as much as 27 points. This was their seventh win in the last eight games.

Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton, facing his former team, played a big role, scoring 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting.

“Played with energy, playing against his former team, you can tell he wanted to play hard,” Suns star Kevin Durant said. “It was a great game for him.”

Ayton was the No. 1 overall pick by Phoenix in 2018 and played five seasons with them before moving to Portland last season.

But Ayton said his strong performance wasn’t about facing his old team.

“I’m here to beat teams, man,” Ayton said. “I’m not really worried about who was in front of us. We’re playing for each other, playing defense and communicating. You can feel it. We are trying to change the tradition around here to a winning culture. We’re just scratching the surface right now.”

This was Ayton’s fourth consecutive game scoring 20 or more points. He’s averaging 22.3 points and 11 rebounds during this stretch.

He’s also made 21 of 24 shots in the last two games. Ayton was 10-of-12 in a win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Portland coach Chauncey Billups was impressed with Ayton’s play.

“He dominated the game, he really did,” Billups said. “He’s obviously always emotional against this team so it was good to see him go dominate the game.”

Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns

Before Saturday’s game, the Trail Blazers had lost four straight against Phoenix.

The Suns’ loss was just their fourth in the last 13 games.

Devin Booker led Phoenix with 37 points, marking his second straight game with 30 or more points. However, his scoring wasn’t enough to get them back in the game.

“They’ve been playing good basketball,” Booker said of Portland. “They came out and straight up beat us. They’re playing with a lot of confidence and they’re playing well right now.”

Durant added 22 points, extending his streak of 20 or more points to 24 of the last 25 games.

But the Suns struggled defensively, giving up 98 points in the first three quarters, which hurt their chances, especially after a big win over Golden State the night before.

“Basketball can be fleeting. This league is tough,” Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Credit to Portland for the way they’re playing. You have to look at what they did to make it happen. We weren’t our best.”

The game was so lopsided that players on both benches seemed more interested in the rumors coming from the fans than the action on the court in the final minutes. Fans were talking about a potential trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis, sending Doncic to the Lakers and Davis to the Mavericks.

Durant was unsure about the reports at first, until a Suns security officer borrowed a fan’s phone to show him the news.

“Crazy, crazy, crazy league,” Durant said, shaking his head.

Billups said the Blazers heard about the trade rumors in a similar way, with assistant coaches overhearing it from fans in the stands.

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NBA (Basketball)

Deandre Ayton’s nearly flawless shooting helps Blazers defeat Suns in Phoenix

Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns

Deandre Ayton had an incredible performance, scoring 24 points on 11-of-12 shooting, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 127-108 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night. This was the first of two games between the teams in three days.

Jerami Grant contributed 20 points for the Blazers, who built a lead as large as 27 points. This win marked their third consecutive victory and seventh in their last eight games.

Toumani Camara added 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals. Anfernee Simons scored 16 points and dished out seven assists, while Shaedon Sharpe, coming off the bench, also added 16 points. Scoot Henderson provided 13 points and nine assists, and Deni Avdija chipped in with 10 points.

For the Suns, Devin Booker led the way with 37 points, marking his second straight game with 30 or more. Kevin Durant added 22 points, continuing his streak of 24 out of 25 games with 20 or more points.

The game saw the Blazers shooting 51.7 percent from the field and hitting 9 of 31 from three-point range. The Suns shot 45.2 percent and went 10 for 33 from beyond the arc. Bradley Beal came off the bench to score 13 points for Phoenix.

Phoenix Suns (NBA)

The Suns were trailing by 10 points late in the third quarter after Durant hit a three-pointer, but the Blazers quickly responded with an 8-0 run. Camara and Sharpe each nailed a three-pointer, and Camara added a fast-break dunk off a steal to extend the lead to 82-64 with 5:01 remaining in the quarter.

Ayton’s jumper extended the lead to 20 points, and Portland entered the fourth quarter with a 98-79 advantage.

Phoenix made a brief push, cutting the lead to 15 with 6:25 left in the game after a basket from Durant. But Ayton sealed the victory, scoring back-to-back baskets to give Portland a 114-94 lead, forcing the Suns to pull Booker and Durant from the game.

Simons led the charge in the first half with 14 points, helping the Blazers go into the break with a 61-46 lead. Durant had 13 points in the first half for Phoenix. Portland finished the half with a 10-0 run after leading by just five points.