Blazers, Sharpe, Evolve While Falling to the 76ers

ThePortland Trail Blazersfell to thePhiladelphia 76ers126-98 on Sunday night, unable to keep pace in the second half after putting together a solid performance in the first. The young Blazers played much better, especially on the defensive side of the ball, before halftime. But reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid and the 76ers had too much fire power and pulled away in the 3rd quarter, never to return.

If you missed the game, you can find ourquarter-by-quarter recap here. After you’ve caught up on the action, here are key analysis points from the game.

Scoot’s Progress

Scoot Henderson will have the spotlight on him every outing this season, for better and for worse. Henderson’s highlight moment came 61 seconds into the game when he deployed a lightning quick crossover on Tyrese Maxey then blew past him down the lane for an easy two points. Overall though, Henderson’s performance tonight left us wanting more.

The hesitation on Scoot’s shot needs to go away. Being aware of defenders in the paint ready to take a charge when he’s driving needs to improve. But the passing ability is there. The explosive speed to get past his defender is there. Even the defensive skills are present. He just has to cut down on the dumb fouls that have plagued him over the past two games.

We also can’t forget who was lurking in the paint all night for the 76ers, ready to block Henderson’s shot attempts at the rim. Remember, we are just three games into this season, we need to let the kid grow beyond his Joel Embiid woes.

Sharpe’s Success

Shaedon夏普提供一个有效的7 - 13 the field and 2-4 from the three point line for a team high 20 points tonight. He continues to be the bright spot for the Blazers on the offensive end of the floor through the first three games of the season. Sharpe also gave us a couple of highlight clips that you have to see to believe.

The skill to avoid defenders and finish at the rim (sometimes not even looking at the hoop) is mesmerizing. Sharpe looked confident tonight taking and making 3’s off the dribble or catch and shoot. If he is able to make that second-year leap, Portland will deem this year a success regardless of the wins and losses. It will interesting to see how and when he finds his shot when Anfernee Simons returns from injury.

The Bash Brothers

The Blazers clearly have a dynamic duo coming off the bench, and no it is not Malcolm Brogden and Robert Williams. I am talking about Toumani Camara and Jabari Walker. When they entered the game at the 3:40 and 1:17 mark respectively in the 1st quarter, the Blazers were down 18-25. When they exited with 5:25 left in the 2nd quarter, the Blazers were leading 48-47. Camara and Walker both bring energy, rebounding, length, and defensive intensity to the court.

Granted, most of their damage came when Joel Embid rested, but their play still passes the eye test when they are on the court together. Camara saw 28 minutes of action, slightly more than his last outing against the Magic. Walker’s minutes increased from 9 minutes to 24. He filled the stat sheet, going 4-9 from the field with 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 1 block. He is for sure earning run with the second unit.

The Raid Boss

Analysis can’t be written about this game tonight against the 76ers without mentioning the reigning MVP. Joel Embiid was simply a monster against this young Portland squad. The Blazers basically had to send two—and sometimes three—defenders at him to try and slow him down when he was operating in the high post. When Embiid is in the paint, he’s basically an automatic two points or trip to the free throw line.

Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, and Walker tried their best and at times tonight did bother Embiid, but as the game wore on, he got stronger. Finishing with 35 points (12-22), 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 blocks in just 29 minutes of play. Just imagine if he played the fourth quarter…

Defense

Much will be made about the offensive side of the ball this season for the Blazers. Will Henderson develop a 3 point shot? Will Sharpe become a 20-point scorer? But the defensive side of the ball will show true growth for this Blazers team.

There was improvement tonight. The first two games of the year saw the Clippers and Magic perform layup and dunk lines on the Blazers in the 1st quarter. Clearly Chauncey Billups and the rest of the coaching staff drilled this into the team. The interior defense was much better to start the game, forcing the 76ers into some tough long-range shots. The Blazers were all over the passing lanes tonight, which helped their transition game. They will need to stay consistent in this area if they want to be somewhat respectable on the defensive side of the ball.

No matter what the Blazers tried, at the end of the day, Embiid was just too much for them to overcome tonight. That remained true no matter what defense they employed.

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Boxscore

The Blazers travel to Toronto to face the Raptors tomorrow at 4:30 PM, Pacific.