The Blazers this season rank 29th out of 30 teams in defensive efficiency. But in “clutch” situations, the Blazers rank ninth defensively and second offensively.
Never has the crunch-time defense been more pronounced than after the All-Star break, when four of the Blazers’ five wins have come in “clutch” situations. The latest was Thursday in Miami, when Portland turned a 110-100 deficit with 6:19 left into a 125-122 win. A week earlier, the Blazers turned a 117-100 deficit against New Orleans into a 125-124 win.
“It is a skill to perform at the end of games,” coach Terry Stotts said. “I think we have some mentally tough players who are up to the challenge in the last five minutes of the game. We have shown that throughout the year. It’s a good trait to have, and hopefully, it pays dividends in the future.”
Defending when it matters seems to have become something the Blazers have embraced. They exert much of their energy to remain one of the best offenses in the NBA — they rank sixth in offensive rating — and then flip a switch when the game is on the line.
Seven times this season, the Blazers have secured a stop in the finals seconds with the game on the line. Three times
Robert Covington has recorded a steal. Twice Lillard has drawn a charge. Covington and
Derrick Jones Jr. seamlessly switched on Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram during a two-shot, final possession in New Orleans. And once they were aided by luck, as Luka Doncic missed a wide-open 3.
It has become such a thing that Lillard said Stotts brought up the team’s “clutch” defense before Thursday’s game in Miami. Then the Blazers went and closed on a 25-12 run, during which Miami went 5-for-13 from the field.
“It just came down to one of those situations again, and we got stops,” Lillard said. “In those moments as a group, we just play really well.”
