Guards and wings elevate Blazers to win over Jazz

Christmas may have been yesterday, but Scoot Henderson decided to give Rip City another gift in the form of a fade-away sweater with 0.1 seconds left to give the Trail Blazers a 122-120 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz to give. Henderson may have put the nail in the coffin, but it was the combined performance of Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija that put the Blazers in position to steal the game.

The Blazers trailed 70-55 midway through the third quarter, then Sharpe and Avdija decided to take over the game. Sharpe would finish with 27 points (5-10 from deep). Avdija compiled a game total of 27 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. The Blazers as a team finished the game with 26 assists, and it was those assists and ball movement that gave the Blazers life.

The Jazz went 21-42 (50%) from the three-point line and outshot the Blazers for most of the game. At one point, Utah led 19-2 in fast-break points and finished with a 20-18 lead. Kudos to the Blazers for getting back on defense and forcing the Jazz into poor shots in the second half and especially the fourth quarter.

MVP of the game

It took some time, but Avdija has arrived for the Portland Trail Blazers. Tonight Avdija scored a season high. It’s actually the third-most points he’s scored in a game in his career. Avdija dominated the field and ran the pick and roll perfectly with Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan. Whether he had a smaller defender like Colin Sexton or a taller defender like Lauri Markkanen, Avdija would take them off the dribble and find a goal line or pass it to the open shooter.

Starting with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter, Avdija scored 8 straight points for the Blazers, mixed with floaters, free throws, layups and three-pointers. Since he came off the bench, he was able to better assess the game and attack where necessary. Tonight it was the pick against the weaker Utah Jazz defenders.

The Bank

The Trail Blazers average 39 points per game from their bench, good for 6th in the NBA. Tonight against the Jazz, it was primarily Avdija and Henderson who scored off the bench, but Clingan brought toughness, rebounding and shot blocking/alterations that can’t go unnoticed. The Blazers’ starting unit dug itself a hole after halftime. The banking unit brought her back with Sharpe. Portland’s reserves would finish with 49 points and account for 17 of the team’s 26 assists. It’s rare to see a bench perform better than the starters, except perhaps in Portland.

Sharpe and Scoot

Could Sharpe and Henderson be Portland’s backcourt of the future? Perhaps. Tonight, the two young Blazers guards may have played their best game together. Sharpe was electric in the fourth quarter, putting the Blazers on his back as he picked up Avdija’s assists. Sharpe remains one of the most efficient clutch scorers in the NBA, averaging nearly 1.5 points per minute in the final five minutes of games decided by five points or fewer.

To judge how effective Henderson is on a given night, you immediately look at his turnovers. Tonight Scoot only turned it over once. He seemed to be in control every time he had the ball. That was a big reason why assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren, who stepped in while Chauncey Billups is on leave, gave Henderson the final chance and didn’t call a timeout. Scoot used his speed to his advantage, stopping on a dime on the final play. His movement with the ball toward the rim, followed by a stop and a fade, helped him create enough space to get a good look at the basket.

Room for improvement

The Blazers needed a last-second shot to beat the Jazz largely because their transition defense was faltering most of the night. Utah hit on 50% of their three-point shots as they got open looks in transition. The Blazers would miss a shot, then the Jazz would lose the place. It wasn’t even Markkanen, Utah’s best player, who took the lead. Utah’s role players enjoyed Portland’s laziness. But kudos to the Blazers’ coaching staff and players for stepping up and getting on the defensive when the game was on the line.

As the game progressed, the Blazers also looked for better offensive shots, which in turn slowed the Jazz’s fast break.

Nate Bjorkgren

Blazers assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren has been named head coach as Chauncey Billups deals with the death of a family member this week. I know it takes a whole staff to put together a game plan, but Bjorkgren made game-changing adjustments to put his players in position to win the game. He essentially went to an eight-man rotation. This is playoff rotation stuff. He kept Clingan in the game until the 6:00 minute mark of the fourth quarter. Clingan played well, but it also gave Ayton enough rest to finish the game strong. Ayton’s size and athleticism were key to Markkanen slowing down toward the end of the game.

The biggest change, however, was how Bjorkgren staggered Anfernee Simons’ minutes. Simons had a free evening. Henderson proved capable of coming on as the first man off the bench. This rotation allowed Sharpe and Henderson more minutes together.

Billups will also miss the next game, so coach Bjorkgren will get another chance to make those in-game adjustments.

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Box score

The Blazers will face the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.