Game Thread 2025-26 GAME #21 - BLAZERS @ RAPTORS - TUESDAY - DECEMBER 2, 2025 - 4:30 PM - KUNP - BLAZERVISION (7 Viewers)

[Chris Craig]

Until Scoot Jrue and Tisse get back in the rotation, we're absolutely the Generals!

Might have both Jrue and Scoot back this month. Tisse next month.

 

[riverman]

I just don't understand the lapse in effort during the middle of the game. I get it that we missed too many free throws but if we see our guys just try harder in the late second quarter and throughout the third we win this game.

Hopefully it's a learning experience but I do not think this coaching staff is better without Chauncey. It's a moot point because Chauncey will almost definitely never coach for our team again but I really hope this coaching staff is helping the young part of our squad progress and isn't hurting that progression.

This team lives and dies by bricking free throws and 3 pt shots. We have to shoot lights out to win

 

[blazerkor]

Played like idiots to end the game. Toumani missed free throws, a three, and fouled allowing a three point possession. Shaedon got bailed out on that foul after losing the ball. Deni complains and doesn't get back. He ran way too much time off the clock and got nothing for it. The low IQ play is astounding.

I agree with a lot of this. Shaedon got taken down, he didn't get bailed out, that whistle should have been blown without the challenge. It doesn't matter though we lost the game.

The good news is the rotation players made a game of it when it looked like after the fourth that we could have been heading for a blow out.

 

[Boomchakalaka2]

Gotta get our injured players back. That’s it!

 

[Rastapopoulos]

BTW, the Remix are currently winning by 16 at the half.

Looks like Dillon Jones is following Earl Watson's advice:

 

[Chris Craig]

I just don't understand the lapse in effort during the middle of the game. I get it that we missed too many free throws but if we see our guys just try harder in the late second quarter and throughout the third we win this game.

Hopefully it's a learning experience but I do not think this coaching staff is better without Chauncey. It's a moot point because Chauncey will almost definitely never coach for our team again but I really hope this coaching staff is helping the young part of our squad progress and isn't hurting that progression.

I don't see the coaches doing much of anything. The Blazers continue to make the same mistakes over and over without remedy.

 

[Hoopguru]

That bald assistant is pissing Splitter off.

 

[blazerkor]

This team lives and dies by bricking free throws and 3 pt shots. We have to shoot lights out to win

Yeah missing that many free throws is really rough to see as a fan. That just comes down to concentration and making that a priority for every playet on the team.

Usually I hate our volume of three pointers but tonight the guys taking a lot of them were actually really effective. You had Shaedon who didn't make any but only put up three attempts. You have love who probagbly shouldn't have that two way spot if he can't do better than 1 for 5 from three. Then you have 3-7 from Deni, 3-5 from Jerami and 6-10 from Tou which is all really nice.

 

[riverman]

I think Tiago is more engaged in the games than Chauncey was. For a rookie coach he's showed a lot of poise and his challenge tonight gave them a shot at winning this game....he's not getting blown out....Chauncey lost multiple games by 40 and 2 games by 60 pts last season...he's never made the playoffs as a coach. I think Tiago deserves more respect than that. he's competing in the dance with 2 way players in heavy rotation. That's not his fault.

 

[Ripcity4life77]

Setting aside missed FT's and the refs -- why was Sidy in the game and not DC cause I am sorry but Grant while I will give him credit he is playing harder on the D side of things he sucks. I mean without DC in the middle once they get by the man defending them it's pretty much a layup with DC out of the game. This is one of the big things I will get on Splitter for cause this is a trend at the end of games now.

 

[Chris Craig]

That bald assistant is pissing Splitter off.

Nate?

It seems like he is always telling the guys stuff after the timeout as they are going back in the game. You think he is telling them to do things contrary to what Tiago is telling them.

 

[blazerkor]

I don't see the coaches doing much of anything. The Blazers continue to make the same mistakes over and over without remedy.

Yeah we really need coaching right now too. It's unfortunate to see the same mistakes night in and night out. We're trying to win for the first time in a few seasons and although the players look like that's a priority at times the coaches just don't.

I do think that it's hard for us to tell from the outside looking in but either our players are refusing to make adjustments which is a failing of the coaching staff or our coaching staff isn't making the adjustments which is worse.

 

[Everything Beagle]

We need to pick a head coach; duelling assistants might be contributing to our troubles

 

[Cugel]

These losses are close. Bitter sweet. A few shots made here and there and it’s a win.

 

[riverman]

We need a shooting coach on the staff from all I can see. They're not hiring a new coach until new ownership is in place.

 

[blazerkor]

We need to pick a head coach; duelling assistants might be contributing to our troubles

Probably won't get that until the offseason. I can't imagine Dundon being happy with any hire before he takes over ownership.

 

[Chris Craig]

Also gotta stop wearing these terrible jerseys

 

[Ripcity4life77]

One more thing before I call it a night and we can repeat this tomorrow night ( might as well just copy this thread and change out Tor for Cavs ) and prolly same comments would apply but back to my original thought ...

Splitter needs to get everyone who missed more then Two FT's tonight and tell them to shoot 100 to 200 FT's before the start of tomorrow game.

 

[Chris Craig]

One more thing before I call it a night and we can repeat this tomorrow night ( might as well just copy this thread and change out Tor for Cavs ) and prolly same comments would apply but back to my original thought ...

Splitter needs to get everyone who missed more then Two FT's tonight and tell them to shoot 100 to 200 FT's before the start of tomorrow game.

Agreed. Need to do free throw practice.

 

[riverman]

A shooting coach often wants players shooting free throws when they are dead tired after 5 on 5 workouts...when the legs are gone. Not so much when they are fresh before a game at shoot around.

 

[blazerkor]

One more thing before I call it a night and we can repeat this tomorrow night ( might as well just copy this thread and change out Tor for Cavs ) and prolly same comments would apply but back to my original thought ...

Splitter needs to get everyone who missed more then Two FT's tonight and tell them to shoot 100 to 200 FT's before the start of tomorrow game.

If specifically Deni and Tou aren't putting up more than 200 FTs between now and tip off tomorrow that would be a bad sign for them on their own but yeah, if the coaching staff isn't mandating that it's a huge problem overall.

 

[blazerkor]

A shooting coach often wants players shooting free throws when they are dead tired after 5 on 5 workouts...when the legs are gone. Not so much when they are fresh before a game at shoot around.

Tou and most of all Deni just need to get free throws up. You're right that ideally it would be happening when they're tired but seriously they just need to be out there before the game tomorrow during "walk through" trying to get a rythm from the line.

Deni is way too effective at drawing fouls to not have it pay off because he only shoots 10 for 15 from the line in any game.

 

[B-Roy]

Tiago basically calling out the team for not playing all 48 minutes.

 

[blazerkor]

Tiago basically calling out the team for not playing all 48 minutes.

Yeah, I don't remember specifically what went wrong in the second quarter but that third quarter effort was absolute bullshit. This roster seems like they are high character guys but they just can't take a quarter off.

 

[crandc]

I remember reading Chris Mullin when he was in the NBA took 100 free throws after practice every day.
Blazers beat themselves. You've got to make your free throws!

 

[blazerkor]

Tiago basically calling out the team for not playing all 48 minutes.

Our very fluent english speaking head coach whose first language is portuguese answering the last question in perfect spanish.

I do think having a team that would have been three deep at point guard (Jrue, Scoot and Blake) having no point guards available is something that is tough to work through but it doesn't explain the lapses in effort.

 

[wizenheimer]

Blazers have stretches in most every game of low BBIQ play. It killed them tonight

* Deni did get fouled but he's shot 38 FT's the last two games and is so obviously fishing for whistles that there will be times he simply won't get a call from the officials. It doesn't help that he's always whining about getting fouled. Man up Deni, if you're going to be a bull-in-a-china-shop every game, every once in a while you're going to be hoist on your own flailing petard

* Clingan should have played more, especially down the stretch when Toronto played Poeltl,, who got 5 quick points against the smaller Blazer lineup

 

[speeds]

I wanted to see Scoot and Yang, kinda bummed.

 

[PCmor7]

Setting aside missed FT's and the refs -- why was Sidy in the game and not DC cause I am sorry but Grant while I will give him credit he is playing harder on the D side of things he sucks. I mean without DC in the middle once they get by the man defending them it's pretty much a layup with DC out of the game. This is one of the big things I will get on Splitter for cause this is a trend at the end of games now.

Because we were clawing back and had to raise the tempo. Clingan would have been ideal, but the two things he can't do that Cissoko can are defend a guard for 92 feet and push the ball up the floor, which had to happen because we dug ourselves a hole and were playing from behind almost the entirety (maybe it was the entirety) of the last three quarters.

 

[wizenheimer]

Because we were clawing back and had to raise the tempo. Clingan would have been ideal, but the two things he can't do that Cissoko can are defend a guard for 92 feet and push the ball up the floor, which had to happen because we dug ourselves a hole and were playing from behind almost the entirety (maybe it was the entirety) of the last three quarters.

that looks like theory

here's the reality:

6:08.0	100-105	S. Barnes makes free throw 1 of 2
6:08.0	100-106	S. Barnes makes free throw 2 of 2
5:22.0	100-108	C. Murray-Boyles makes 2-pt layup from 1 ft (assist by I. Quickley)
4:42.0	102-110	B. Ingram makes 2-pt layup from 1 ft (assist by J. Shead)
3:00.0	108-112	J. Poeltl makes 2-pt hook shot from 5 ft (assist by S. Barnes)
2:28.0	108-114	I. Quickley makes 2-pt jump shot from 3 ft
1:53.0	111-116	J. Poeltl makes 2-pt hook shot from 2 ft (assist by S. Barnes)
1:53.0	Shooting foul by T. Camara (drawn by J. Poeltl)
1:53.0	111-117	J. Poeltl makes free throw 1 of 1
0:17.0	115-119	B. Ingram makes 2-pt dunk from 1 ft (assist by J. Shead)
0:05.0	115-120	B. Ingram makes free throw 1 of 2

to start that run, Barnes was fouled at the hoop by Avdija

so essentially, in a close game, Toronto scored their last 15 points on shots in the restricted circle against Portland's small lineup. That's the area of the floor where Clingan is very effective at shot intimidation and shot altering. In order to "claw back" a team needs plenty of stops. Portland wasn't getting them because their best player at getting stops in the paint was sitting on the bench

in the last 6 minutes, Toronto took 11 shots but the box score counted only 10 because Barnes was fouled on one. They were then 6-8 on shots at the hoop and their other two misses were from 11 feet. All their shots were in the paint from 11 feet or less in a game when 30 of their 90 shots were three's and 19 more shots were from mid-range. Sure looks like Toronto recognized that Clingan wasn't in the game and adjusted their offense accordingly. Portland playing small didn't work