![]() ![]() ![]() The Blazers will need all of those attributes, particularly the rebounding, if they’re to keep pace with Denver. ![]() Meanwhile his offensive rebounding went through the roof and he even got in a couple assists. He took far more shots and kept his field goal percentage high, earning an eye-popping 17 points per game. Enes KanterĮnes Kanter also scored and rebounded big versus the Nuggets. He also doubled his free throws and rebounded like an All-Star. He took advantage with 3.3 extra field goal attempts, 1.3 extra three-pointers, and 6.4 points added to his scoring average. Whatever attention their defense devoted to the backcourt left him free to score. Here’s some good news for Portland: Al-Farouq Aminu excelled against the Nuggets. Odds are the Blazers will need more than that to make this a competitive series. If the Blazers had Jusuf Nurkic on the court, with a possibility of battling Nikola Jokic to a near-draw, 41 points combined from the Lillard- McCollum backcourt might be enough to give hope. McCollum shot 37.5% from the arc during the regular season as a whole, only 26.3% against the Nuggets. The glaring exception comes in three-point shooting, a Denver defensive specialty. CJ McCollumĬJ McCollum played to his season averages against Denver. Lillard’s ability to excel against Denver will be one of two major questions the Blazers will need to answer early. The mere idea of Lillard not being amazing-let alone not being himself against rangy, dedicated guards-is enough to cast this series in doubt. If Denver’s defensive attention blunts him, though, the Blazers will have a hard time making it up. Maybe he’s just that good and it’ll carry over. Lillard dialed up the megawattage considerably against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, averaging 33.0 points on 46.1% shooting, 48.1% from the arc. 21.3 points per game still reads as a #1 option, but it’s closer to talented scoring guard than transcendent superstar. 37.1% overall and 28.6% from distance.that’s not the Damian Lillard we’re used to seeing. Lillard played 3.3 more minutes per game against Denver than average, but he registered fewer shots attempts and his percentages from the floor and the arc were miserable. Denver was one of Damian Lillard’s worst matchups this season. The story does not start out promising for Portland. How did they do against each other’s teams, and how did their supporting casts fare? We know Damian Lillard and Nikola Jokic excelled during the regular season and dominated Round 1 of the playoffs. Kentucky coach John Calipari was in the crowd, as was Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder - who helped the Miami Hurricanes make the Elite Eight in this year’s NCAA women’s tournament.As the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets prepare to clash in the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, let’s take a look at head-to-head statistical matchups for their top rotation players. The 41 combined points were the fewest in the first quarter of the last 24 finals games the first quarter of Game 4 of the Toronto-Golden State series in 2019 had 40 points. Robinson and Kevin Love each scored 12, and Caleb Martin scored 11. The Heat are 0-4 on their home floor since. … Miami started the playoffs 6-0 at home. … If it was Miami’s home finale this season, then the Heat went 613-299 in its home arena during his career. Jovic was 58 days old when Haslem signed his first Heat contract. Heat: It was retiring 20-year veteran Udonis Haslem’s 43rd birthday and rookie Nikola Jovic’s 20th birthday. … It was Denver’s 25th win on the road this season, tying a franchise record set last season. Murray played with tape protecting the bottom of his left hand, thanks to a nasty floor burn he got in Game 3. He briefly retreated to the Denver locker room before the start of the second quarter and played the rest of the way with no evident issues. Nuggets: Jokic tweaked his right ankle when he landed on the back of Max Strus’ foot midway through the opening quarter. And all we’re going to focus on is getting this thing back to the 305. “We’ve done everything the hard way and that’s the way it’s going to have to be done right now - again. “We have an incredibly competitive group,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, and the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title. So we’ll band together and get on this flight tomorrow and find a way to figure it out.” “This is what this year’s been all about for this group, so definitely not going to hang our heads or quit,” Heat guard Duncan Robinson said. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |