Suns outperform Trail Blazers in Phoenix

The Portland Trail Blazers were unable to find a win Sunday night at the Valley of the Sun, falling to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns 116-109. Portland fell behind early and then made a nice comeback in the second and third periods. However, the fourth quarter was all Phoenix until it no longer mattered.

Kevin Booker led the Suns with 28, followed by Durant with 20. Anfernee Simons scored 20 for the Blazers, one of six Portland players in double figures. Both Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant scored 17 points each.

Here are some of the key points of the game.

Missing threesomes

The Blazers had a few hot streaks throughout the game, but overall they shot just 15-for-49, 30.6% from the three-point arc. It was one of those nights when the opponent left Portland open on the sidelines. The shooting just wasn’t good enough to make them pay. That’s unfortunate because just a few more threes would have changed the overall impression of the game. But what are you going to do? 49 of 94 distance attempts leave no room for more volume. If you want to win, you have to hit them. Portland didn’t do that.

Shaedon Aggressive

After a few games in which he was half-disappeared, Shaedon Sharpe hit the aggression button tonight. He drove when he could and shot quick threes when he was open. Shaedon being harsh is very different than Shaedon trying not to offend. Despite shooting just 5-15 from the floor, Sharpe finished the game with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. At least he tried.

Robert Williams Redux

Robert Williams III returned to the floor tonight, shooting 4-4 ​​for 8 points and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes. He helped Portland make a crucial second-quarter run, but didn’t get much glory in the second half.

Clingan offensive sense

Donovan Clingan got the start tonight but was still on a minutes restriction. He managed 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 19 minutes.

I’m still kind of fond of Clingan’s bonus feature that hasn’t been advertised before: he has a much better feel for the ground on offense than his scoring ability and production would suggest. Offensive rebounding is the common symptom of good court vision for centers. Clingan does that. But he also passes quickly and cuts into space without the ball. Not only do I enjoy watching Clingan score, I also enjoy watching him play. If this is any indication of what kind of veteran he will be, then Portland got a gem in this year’s draft.

Offensive rebound

Speaking of offensive rebounding, it’s been hit or miss lately, although it was a clear team strength for the Blazers early in the season. However, Portland thrived as they harassed the smaller Suns on the glass tonight. They grabbed 12 offensive rebounds with mixed production that resembled their three-point shooting. However, they also allowed Phoenix 12, negating their advantage.

Simon’s finishing

Say what you will about Anfernee Simons, but he has a feather-light feel for layups. No one else on the team has the ability to put the ball on the screen as often and still convert as he does. Earlier in his career it was an underused part of his game, but now that he is closer to the scoresheet he can utilize more of his arsenal.

Drive isn’t the strongest part of Simons’ game, but I’m always happy when he uses it.

Color dots

In case you missed the last four points of analysis, all of which have to do with interior scoring, the Blazers finished tonight with a 50-44 lead. They keep getting better inside the arc. If only they could strike outside.

Stupid statistics

It’s a minor annoyance, but I’m a little tired of the stats discussion on Blazers Broadcasts. I understand that given the heavy losses, the team wants to look at the positive side of everything to maintain interest. Yet the broadcasters’ statistical claims are downright misleading, being sideways and twisted to prove a point or paint a positive picture.

One of them tonight was that three players off Portland’s bench – Dalano Banton, Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija – averaged at least 10 points and 2 assists. Portland is the only team in the league with this distinction.

Okay…so? Who chose 2 assists as the limit? What does it mean or what effects does it have? They probably drew the line there so they could include Banton and his 2.6 assists and therefore qualify. Raise the bar to 3 assists and the Blazers no longer look so exclusive.

In addition, the aforementioned trio averages 6.6 turnovers and 10.7 assists per game. That corresponds to an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.62. Granted, it’s better than the terrible 1.3 odds the Blazers have as a whole, which basically puts them last in the league. But 1.6 would place these bench players in the bottom third of the NBA when expanded to the entire roster. In other words: all the ball handling and passing No bueno. However, given the carefully compiled statistics, you would never know it.

I don’t particularly like it when individuals break down statistics to prove a specious statement or make a story seem better/worse than it already is. I like it even less when basketball experts do that. We’re supposed to learn more about the games by watching, not less.

I like the Blazers Broadcasting team in general. I just wish they would stop with the eye-rolling numbers game. The team’s style of play belies all vague statistics. How about we just talk about why the Blazers win or lose games and use the numbers to demonstrate? I don’t think anyone would think less of the organization if the broadcasters said the team is having trouble rebounding defensively or truly excelling when the threes are falling. It would help us understand what we are seeing, which would increase engagement with the game.

Tyus Jones

Tyus Jones had a whopping 19 points on 8-9 shooting and 4 assists tonight. On a recent episode of the Trail Daddy podcast, we talked about how the Blazers need a true point guard instead of the many hybrid ball handlers they currently field. This is especially true if Scoot Henderson is unsuccessful. Jones has a minimum contract with the Suns this year. It expires at the end of the season. The Blazers wouldn’t have any wiggle room to make him an offer, but if Jones continues to transition careers over the next few seasons, Portland might want to keep an eye on him.

Next

Box score

The Blazers are off until Thursday when they face the Denver Nuggets at 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.