A starting guard in the 2021 NBA All-Star Game met another guard who had to get the designation when Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards faced Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. The evening did not disappoint. Beal scored 37 while Lillard threw in 35 while Washington had the upper hand, 118-111.
First term
The match began with the usual back-and-forth rounds of “Can you defend it?” which answers both teams in response: “NO!” Passes flew all over the court. Beal and Lillard hit tries. Forwards cut fast while the middle baby shots splash in the edge. A 40-40 first quarter was out of the question. During the period, Portland’s assistants began to link from a distance, giving them a clear advantage over a Washington team that relied on the cup against a collapsing defense in Portland. As the story has been for so many Wizards opponents this season, the Blazers could not contain Beal no matter where he tried to score. But Gary Trent, Jr., Robert Covington and Carmelo Anthony, who hit tries, were enough to push Portland forward, especially when Washington’s second unit collapsed like a bicycle in a dollar store. The Blazers took a 43-31 lead after the first.
Second term
The Portland score dried up like a cactus in the microwave when the second period began. Bad defense, however, is the gift that keeps giving, and this game could just as well have been Christmas. Washington hardly needs to try to close the gap. They started drafting and the Blazers did nothing. With three minutes left in the period, the lead was down to 2. A try from Anfernee Simons stopped the bleeding, but only temporarily. The Blazers were still fighting hard on the boards – a trend in the first half – but everything went so far south that penguins shook their heads in disbelief. Again, no tries seemed for Portland, and no real play. Washington led 61-55, an 18-point turnaround in the quarter. 12 points in the period for Portland was a mental low, if not a lowest season.
Third term
The Blazers returned in the third game. Their offense comes at the bow or deep in the lane, just the way they want it. The Wizards fired tons of mid-range shots while missing three-point attempts, just as the Blazers wanted. Portland’s offense was driven by Lillard, who scored 23 times in the period … twice as much as his entire team scored in the previous quarter. But the bounce advantage was gone and Portland dropped Washington into transition several times, which was basically the point to wash. Lillard ended the period with a deeeeeeep try at the buzzer to put the Blazers ahead 92-89. It looked like another nail-biting finish was on the way.
Fourth term
Portland’s distance defense looked decent at the start of the fourth, but without the majors they really had trouble defending inside. They either committed three defenders to Washington drives, or the Wizards succeeded. If the Wiz were able to succeed inside, they even succeeded against the triple team.
Portland wanted the game fast and circumferential, the Wizards went close and predictable. When the Wizards Lady doubled with each touch, the cast had no problems. Washington tried to take advantage by pushing the offense through Beal and Russell Westbrook, but they could not play a major role. The Wizards did not fare much better with their ‘other’ players than Portland did. For a while, it became a game of incompetence, but because it was the fourth and tight series, it still came down to watching.
The proximity ended quickly when Washington connected on consecutive tries with 02:30 left in the game. This increased them by 9, 110-101. Lillard was contaminated on a try and not connected much later on a 30-foot, but his team still could not stop Washington from scoring. Those heroic deeds perished. Bad defense beats good offense, as the Blazers prove themselves equally committed to both.
Notes
The Blazers gave up their bounce advantage and then some as the game unfolded. They broke Washington on the boards before break, but ended up on the wrong side of a 54-50 deficit.
Portland hit 19 tries, Washington only 6, but the Wizards proved that long range shooting is not everything.
Westbrook and Beal scored 64 points together. Lillard and Trent, Jr., had 51.
Goal scorer
The Blazers play their rivals, the Phoenix Suns, in the Pacific on Monday night at 6 p.m.