As the Portland Trail Blazers’ lead swelled beyond 30 points and it was clear they would cruise to their easiest victory of the season, you half expected Tiago Splitter to plop down on the bench in the fourth quarter and soak in the action.
After all, the Blazers’ acting coach has overseen a staggering 23 clutch-time games, meaning he has been forced to sweat out the second-most down-to-the-wire finishes in the NBA this season.
But it was only after the Blazers had officially put the final touches on a runaway 137-117 win over the Utah Jazz at the Moda Center that Splitter could officially exhale and savor a rare comfortable outcome.
“Right now, when I go to the locker room and I have a beer, that’s it,” Splitter said, smiling, in his postgame interview at the Moda Center. “That’s when I enjoy it.”
He might as well have enjoyed two ice cold IPAs after this one; the Blazers were that impressive.
Portland (17-20) punished the NBA’s worst defense with a barrage of three-point baskets and a surplus of pretty passing, earning its fifth win in the last six games to inch within three games of .500 for the first time since Nov. 26.
Deni Avdija finished with 33 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Shaedon Sharpe recorded 29 points, seven assists and five rebounds and Donovan Clingan added 12 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks as the Blazers delivered their most lopsided win of the season, equaling a 20-point rout over Golden State in October.
“No win is comfortable,” Avdija said. “Because you’ve still got to work for it. But we came very sharp today and we didn’t give them a chance to come back in the game, which was progress.”
Avdija sure looked comfortable in the fourth quarter, as the Western Conference Player of the Week sat for the final 12 minutes, enjoying the lopsided win from the Blazers’ bench.
Never mind that Utah’s defense is historically bad, allowing an average of 127.0 points per game and boasting a defensive rating of 122.0 — marks that rank last in the NBA this season. And forget that the Jazz (12-23) are destined for another lottery pick. After enduring so many close games and fighting through so many injuries, the Blazers seemed to relish their sixth double-digit win of the season.
Ten different Blazers scored and nine reached double-figures. They hoisted a franchise-record 30 first-half three-pointers (making 14) and they completed five alley-oop dunks. The bench scored 38 points.
And throughout it all, the Blazers’ passing was both pristine and prolific as everyone seemed more apt to collect an assist than score a field goal.
Nine different Blazers recorded an assist and eight of them finished with more than one, including all five starters.
“I felt like it was so fun to play today because we were just sharing the ball, we were playing defense, we were communicating, everybody was touching it,” Avdija said. “It just feels good to win in that way.”
Added Splitter: “We knew that we (had) to be patient with the ball and swing, swing and drive it again, kick it out, shoot the ball. Against (the Jazz), you’ve got to be patient, because you can’t take the first shot. I think we did a good job passing the ball and, especially, shooting. You’ve got to be able to shoot against these guys.”
And now, suddenly, the Blazers seem to be building a little legitimate mojo.
Not only have they won five of six for the first time this season, but they are also settling into a home-heavy January schedule that features eight of 10 games at the Moda Center.
It won’t be a cakewalk — Portland’s next three games are against the Houston Rockets (twice) and the New York Knicks — but there is a sense in the Blazers’ locker room that they are finally finding their footing after a rough December littered with injuries and close defeats.
“I know we’re ready,” Avdija said.” We’re getting better every game. So that’s fun. I think we’re going to look at ourselves and, regardless if we’re playing away or home, just believe in our progress and just keep building for real.
“I feel like we just found a groove.”
If so, there might be more postgame IPAs on the horizon.
Next up
The Blazers host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Moda Center.