Recap: Blazers Can’t Keep Up With Jazz, Take Another Preseason Loss

ThePortland Trail Blazersput forth a commendable effort, but came short of completing a hearty preseason comeback, falling on the road 138-133 to theUtah Jazzon Saturday night.

Portland got strong performances from their key players early, while the youngsters shined down the stretch. Here are some of the highlights:

Load Management

Deandre Ayton and Malcolm Brogdon were both given the night the off, while Robert Williams III missed his third straight contest nursing a sore knee after colliding with Jerami Grant in practice earlier this week. This forced Head Coach Chauncey Billups to mix up the starters yet again, with Moses Brown replacing Ayton and Matisse Thybulle rejoining the unit in place of Shaedon Sharpe.

GiAnt Man

Anfernee Simons picked up right where he left off Thursday, carrying the Blazers for much of evening, scoring 11 of the team’s first 15 points and finishing with a game-high of 29. Most of Simons’ damage came from beyond the three point arc, where he acted as both a deadly kickout option in transition and weak side pressure release valve in the half-court.

The plan appears to be to split Simons’ time between being a spot-up menace in the first unit and an isolation monster with the bench squad. Which of those roles he is actually best suited for and how that balance plays out will be a key factor in Billups maximizing the potential of his young guards.

It didn’t seem to matter what Simons was doing tonight as the Jazz had no answer.

Resistance is Futile

With their top two rim protectors scratched from the lineup, Portland’s defense never stood a chance. The Blazer interior presence ranged from inviting to downright nonexistent, as Utah was able to routinely get to the rack with little resistance. Brown was yanked just 8 minutes into the game and didn’t see the floor again until the second half. Billups eventually settled on Duop Reath, but the woes still continued.

It’s hard to evaluate the defense when the literal centerpieces of that unit are MIA, but there wasn’t a whole lot to suggest Utah’s efforts would have been thwarted had either of those guys suited up. We still don’t even know what a full game rotation with Ayton and Williams looks like. I’m giving this a N/A grade and deferring judgement.

Growing Pains

Scoot Henderson never seemed to find a rhythm and struggled through much of the game. Portland played with pace, but the Jazz weren’t missing a lot of shots, so the transition opportunities which would normally showcase his video game-like skills were few and far between.

On top of that, without Ayton and Williams in the frontcourt, Scoot was missing his two best targets in the pick and roll. A lot of his opportunities tonight were just spot-up threes or one-on-one drives to the basket, neither of which he converted at a high rate.

He did end up finishing with another respectable stat line (17 points and 8 assists) and the flashes of nigh-otherworldly speed and vision were still there, but so were a lot of rookie struggles that will be present through the season. He’s a little bit too foul prone. He can get out of control on drives. He tries to bend passes like James McAvoy bends bullets in “Wanted.” This is all part of Henderson’s growth and it’s hard to be disappointed with what he’s shown so far.

What Rust?

Jerami Grant also looked to be in mid-season form, finishing with 24 points in 26 minutes. He was good from beyond the arc (2-3 3PT), got to the foul line (4-5 FT) and made Jazz defenders look foolish with post moves. The latter may be matchup dependent, but the Blazers should hope they can getthisversion of Grant - the three-level scorer - on a nightly basis.

Toumani Buckets

Toumani Camara was the standout of Portland’s second unit, at least in the fourth quarter when the Blazers made a run. He stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in 24 minutes. He went 3-4 from downtown and showed versatility and toughness on defense.

Sharpe Play

Shaedon Sharpe also turned in his best game of the preseason so far with 20 points, 7 boards, 4 assists and a block. After perhaps forcing things a bit too much against the Suns, Sharpe’s shot selection and efficiency (8-15 FG) were much improved.

Up Next

Boxscore

The Blazers will wrap up their 2023-24 preseason in Phoenix with a rematch against the Suns this Monday evening at 7 p.m. Pacific.