NBA playoffs on May 1: Trial Blazers defeat Nuggets in a 'brick' game

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The Portland Trail Blazers took home advantage of the Western Conference semifinals by defeating the Denver Nuggets 97-90 at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday, tying the series 1-1. The two teams kept missing shots in the game, making it look like high-school basketball.

Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers, role players become the key

Enes Kanter (R) of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles under the defense of Nikola Jokic (L) of the Denver Nuggets in the game at the Pepsi Center, May 1, 2019. /VCG Photo

How terrible were their shooting in this game? No player of Denver reached 50 percent with their field goal rate. As for Portland, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum together only made 13 of their 37 shots, four of their 14 three-pointers.

Such crazy bricks had no much to do with the defense of either side-they simply could not put the ball into the basket, especially the Nuggets. Though they were playing at home, the Nuggets managed to miss 64 FG shots and 23 three-pointers in the game. Even though the team grabbed 23 offensive rebounds, 15 of which came from the last quarter, it could not save the team's FG rate of 34.69 percent and 3-pt rate of 20.69 percent.

It should be pointed out that Trail Blazers changed a bit in offense after losing Game 1. Instead of trying to give the ball to Lillard and McCollum, the team gave their forward players more liberty for isolation attack. It was understandable since both Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu are taller and stronger than Denver's small guards.

Rodney Hood # 5 of the Trail Blazers shoots in the game against the Nuggets, May 1, 2019. /VCG Photo

Rodney Hood and Zach Collins from the bench were the other reason that Portland could win Wednesday's game. Hood scored 15 points, the highest of all backup players. More importantly, he delivered three blocks with the 2.04-meter wingspan. Hood plus Collins who dropped 10 points brought Portland the upper hand in the contest of bench players.

However, none of the above was enough to take the Nuggets down if they had not missed so many shots. In the second quarter, the Nuggets missed 10 three-pointers in a row. They only earned six free throws in the first half (and missed three). None of their players scored double-digit points in the first half

Malik Beasley #25, Nikola Jokic #15 and Jamal Murray #27 of the Nuggets in the game against the Trail Blazers, May 1, 2019. /VCG Photo

Though Portland only had Kanter who scored 11 points during the same period, that was good enough for the team to lead by 15 points (50-35), a score difference that Denver failed to tie exerting themselves to the utmost.

Though the team lost both the game and the home advantage, the Nuggets deserved some praise for their fighting spirit. For example, Torrey Craig suffered nose fracture at the beginning of the second quarter but he came back in the second half, wearing a protective mask and that did not stop him from returning to the court and competing for offensive rebounds.

Torrey Craig (white 3) of the Nuggets compete for offensive rebound in the game against the Trail Blazers, May 1, 2019. /VCG Photo

Denver's head coach Mike Malone praised his starting small forward: "I think Torrey Craig is the unsung hero of the game. That guy has got some balls. He's got toughness. I'll go to war with that kid any day. He leaves it all on the floor. Every night."

Denver's All-Star center Nikola Jokic also shared his view about the loss: "It was a weird game for us. They didn't even play that good, to be honest. They can play better than that. It was kind of a weird game where they were more aggressive than we were. In the last quarter, we missed a lot of putbacks but still 20-something offensive rebounds is a big number. We couldn't make shots. In the first half, we had a lot of open wide shots but we just didn't make any of those."

Damian Lillard #0 of the Trail Blazers penetrates in the game against the Nuggets, May 1, 2019. /VCG Photo

Despite Jokic's optimism, he was right about one thing-the Trail Blazers could have played much better and it will be dangerous to expect McCollum and Lillard, especially the latter to play like this in the future games. When Lillard plays like the dagger he was in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Craig alone will not be able to defend him, just like DPOY-level elite defender Paul George was not able to do that.

Of course to do a job well, one must highly competent. Denver cannot change the fact that they need to play offense around Jokic but the rest of the team must try to be more aggressive. Portland's inside squad is vulnerable in defense. By assaulting the rim will expose this weakness of theirs and bring the game to Denver's advantage.