Game Thread 2025-26 GAME #72 - BLAZERS @ NUGGETS MARCH 22, 2026 - SUNDAY - 2:00 PM - KUNP - BLAZERVISION - NBATV

[blazerfan11]

Clingan isn't even looking to shoot threes in the 2nd half.

The team and everyone must know his 3-pointers are a main reason they were in this game. Oh well.

 

[TYDame]

We just need to admit, we don’t win at Denver

 

[blazerfan11]

We just need to admit, we don’t win at Denver

Especially when the focus goes out the door at halftime. Right back to robo-playing as if that'll do it.

 

[Ripcity4life77]

I love DC but when he is your leading scorer hands down not a good thing cause he does his in spurts. Deni can create his own shots and that's about it and that hurts this team when only one guy can create and the team cannot shoot.

Whoever the GM is this offseason be it Cronin or (insert name ) that person needs to fix that or this team will never be a contender -- period.

 

[Irish Trader]

Time of the year the good teams playing big boy ball no sleeping on the switch. Difference between our team and a tested playoff and championship team attitude

 

[julius]

dang, I went away at half and it was reasonable. Now it's a slaughter.

 

[Cugel]

Falling apart but a solid first half

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Well that escalated quickly

 

[Ripcity4life77]

The rest of the team when they get the ball are like -- I do not want to take a shot and look for Deni -- that right there proves my point from my last post.

DC and sometimes Camara can play D the rest of the time -- NOPE

but caveat on Camara if the rest of the team played better team D then he would not have to shoulder having to be the only person trying to play D and that leads to him getting stupid fouls etc

 

[THE HCP]

We just need to admit, we don’t win at Denver

You new around here?

 

[TheGoldRanger]

Those Blazers fans at the game are hilarious. Is it just me or does this feel like a playoff game?

 

[blazerkor]

Rough quarter but we still have a chance but we'lll need to make a run to start the fourth.

 

[blazerkor]

This one looks like it's going the wrong way. We'll need a very unlikely run after this timeout if we want to get back in this game.

 

[Irish Trader]

Well this game is over time to watch final four and Nhra. Doing well in my espn bracket. 98.3 percentile. After three days and over 26 mil brackets only two perfect brackets. 469k rank out of 26 mil for me

 

[Cugel]

Naw they got one run left in the tank. Do it

 

[Irish Trader]

Naw they got one run left in the tank. Do it

Ah stick a fork in them

 

[blazerkor]

Our guys played way above expectations in the first and the second half was won by the better team.

 

[Cugel]

Ah stick a fork in them

Spoke too soon

 

[Rastapopoulos]

To many good sports options today flipping channels ever two minutes

Well the Blazers did you a favor by making one of the options not good

 

[TYDame]

Now come home and beat all 4 .500 teams. That gets us to 39-37

 

[Mrvioletowl]

Games like this, I actually miss Caleb Love, and I never thought I would be saying that back when the season started. Seeing all our guards brick three after three just kills me.

 

[blazerfan11]

Games like this, I actually miss Caleb Love, and I never thought I would be saying that back when the season started. Seeing all our guards brick three after three just kills me.

Jerami Grant led the team in scoring in Minnesota, with 26 points on 10-16 shooting.
I would have rather had him.

 

[BassPlaya]

Our guys played way above expectations in the first and the second half was won by the better team.

That's what I watched.

 

[PCmor7]

I don't like the increasing frequency with which we have Deni bringing the ball up and acting as the point guard.

Couple of issues I have with it ...

-- It leads to three or four guys basically standing around on a lot of the possessions. There might be a guard-for-guard ballscreen. There might be a cutter for a lob. In general, though, this offense is Deni Vs. The World.
-- Deni's style is already going to be physical and create a lot of contact. A body, even one as strong as his, can only take so much. We've seen that already this year. I don't like the idea of five defenders waiting there knowing what we're doing and setting for charges or flying at Deni on every possession.

We get stagnant and I also think this has contributed to Deni's FG% and 3FG% dropping as the season as progressed.

It's something we need to use. It's just not something we need to use two-thirds of the time. It's a lazy offense that's going to lead to diminishing returns, and it's not like we don't have actual point guards who can initiate offense.

 

[BassPlaya]

Went on the final game of a 3 win road trip...into thin air, against a team fully healthy, and we were without two of our three best scoring options. Surprised we still had a game at half.

 

[crandc]

On the whole a successful road trip.

 

[wizenheimer]

Went on the final game of a 3 win road trip...into thin air, against a team fully healthy, and we were without two of our three best scoring options. Surprised we still had a game at half.

that's just NBA normal this time of year. Lots of players are missing games and it's rare for a team to be completely healthy

look at this road trip:

* Philly was missing Maxey, Embiid, PG13, and Oubre....that's 87pts, 22rebs, and 16 asts they were missing
* Brooklyn was missing their leading scorer Michael Porter Jr, plus Noah Clowney, Egor Demin & Terrance Mann
* Indiana, the worst team in the league, was missing Siakam, Nembhard, Odi Toppin, & Ben Shepard....not to mention Haliburton
* Minny was missing Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid

Portland was helped a lot more by other team's injuries on the road trip than they were harmed by their own. They also had the big advantage of playing two of the worst teams in the league who were tanking.

Over a 10 game stretch starting with the Brooklyn game last Monday and ending with the Pelicans game next Thursday, the Blazers will have played 7 of 10 games against teams with an average record of 21-51. And 6 of those 7 games are against teams actively tanking in one fashion or another. Talking about Sharpe being out, Grant missing his first game in 2 months, and the elevation in Denver seem like weak context. Denver is the better team; so is Minny but Portland had fortunate timing and played really well. That made up for their choke against Philly

Blazers should be 2 games over .500 after this 4 game home stand with 6 games left in the season. I think they'll end up in 9th, but they have a decent shot at 8th

 

[blazerfan11]

I don't like the increasing frequency with which we have Deni bringing the ball up and acting as the point guard.

Couple of issues I have with it ...

-- It leads to three or four guys basically standing around on a lot of the possessions. There might be a guard-for-guard ballscreen. There might be a cutter for a lob. In general, though, this offense is Deni Vs. The World.
-- Deni's style is already going to be physical and create a lot of contact. A body, even one as strong as his, can only take so much. We've seen that already this year. I don't like the idea of five defenders waiting there knowing what we're doing and setting for charges or flying at Deni on every possession.

We get stagnant and I also think this has contributed to Deni's FG% and 3FG% dropping as the season as progressed.

It's something we need to use. It's just not something we need to use two-thirds of the time. It's a lazy offense that's going to lead to diminishing returns, and it's not like we don't have actual point guards who can initiate offense.

I was pissed in the first half when Clingan was on his heater, wide open again after going 4-4 on threes, and Avdija didn't even look his way.

When you're in Denver, and someone's on a 3-pointer heater, whomever it is, milk it it for all its worth. To me, it's especially disrespectful to Clingan, seeing all the battling and dirty work he does every game.