Blazers need 3 point scoring

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the Jan 5 loss in Miami 111-122 by a 15 point margin. Blazers scored 13 of 37 vs MIA Heat 18 of 44. Blazers were out-rebounded 40-47 and had a lot fewer assists, 21-34. The Blazers trailed the entire game, not playing strong defense and trailing by double digits beginning with a score of 14-4, and allowing MIA 6 swish3s in the 1st Q.

Dame led scoring 6 of 12, Gary scored 2 of 5, Simons scored 2 of 6, Mario scored 1 of 2, Tolliver scored 1 of 3, and Kent scored 1 of 5. Melo was 0 of 4. The Blazers allowed Dragic to score 7 of 10 swish3s and 29 points off the bench! NBA leading swish3 % scorer Meyers scored 3 of 7. MIA had 7 players in double figures.

The 18 swish3s that I predicted the Blazers would need for a good chance to win is accurate, and will be needed again on Jan 7 for a good chance to stay with the TOR Raptors. Let's hope we can find enough swish3 scoring power to be competitive in Canada.

 

[kjironman1]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the Jan 5 loss in Miami 111-122 by a 15 point margin. Blazers scored 13 of 37 vs MIA Heat 18 of 44. Blazers were out-rebounded 40-47 and had a lot fewer assists, 21-34. The Blazers trailed the entire game, not playing strong defense and trailing by double digits beginning with a score of 14-4, and allowing MIA 6 swish3s in the 1st Q.

Dame led scoring 6 of 12, Gary scored 2 of 5, Simons scored 2 of 6, Mario scored 1 of 2, Tolliver scored 1 of 3, and Kent scored 1 of 5. Melo was 0 of 4. The Blazers allowed Dragic to score 7 of 10 swish3s and 29 points off the bench! NBA leading swish3 % scorer Meyers scored 3 of 7. MIA had 7 players in double figures.

The 18 swish3s that I predicted the Blazers would need for a good chance to win is accurate, and will be needed again on Jan 7 for a good chance to stay with the TOR Raptors. Let's hope we can find enough swish3 scoring power to be competitive in Canada.

And Meyers was 3-7 from swish3! 42.9%

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the Jan 7 win 101-99 over TOR Raptors. The Blazers scored 13 of 35 vs TOR 15 of 42. This was a great come from behind finish in which Melo, Hassan, and Dame played starring roles! Key swish3s by Dame (2 of them) and Melo in the closing minutes allowed taking the lead with 3.3 sec remaining. Blazer defense and rebounding in the 4th Q were strong and pulled this win out.

Melo led scoring 5 of 8, Dame scored 4 of 7, Simons scored 2 of 4, Mario scored 1 of 2, and Kent scored 1 of 5. Nassir was 0 of 1, Gary was 0 of 2, and CJ was 0 of 6. Long swish3s by Dame in the last min were trademark Dame time winners showing great determination. The key pass by CJ to Melo and the confident 16' game winning Melo FG were an excellent ending! Dame scored 2 and Melo scored 1 key swish3s in the closing minutes!

This was a turning point game in which the Blazers were strongly out-rebounded 45-57, which was improved from a 1st Q deficit of 14-22 rebounds. The Blazers scored only 14% of 1st Q swish3s vs TOR 44% and were down 15-24 after 1 Q. The Blazers won this game by tightening up defense to allow only 21 points in the 4th Q by TOR while shooting 75% of swish3s and 63% of FG. This kind of 4th Q performance wins games!

What has been severely distressing in the Knicks, Heat, and Raptors games has been the porous defense in the paint, allowing a stream of easy layups, dunks, and <6' away FG while allowing opponent offensive rebounds and 2nd or 3rd chance scores. This has to stop, and should stop from this game 4th Q on. Hassan deserves a lot of credit for his defense, blocks (7!), screens (like the one for Dame on the game-tying swish3), and rebounds (16). Let's get Mario, Tolliver, Kent, CJ, Simons, and Dame to keep scrambling for those rebounds while keeping between them and the basket, and to look for chances to free Dame up with screens and double screens and more wins over top NBA teams!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the 102-116 loss Jan 9 to MIN TWolves. The Blazers scored 11 of 37 vs MIN 13 of 32. The Blazers played well only in the 1st Q, scoring only 13 points in the 2nd Q, making only 14% of swish3s and 27% of FG and with 0 assists! For the game, Blazers were out-rebounded 41-56!

CJ led scoring 3 of 4, Gary scored 3 of 6, Dame scored 3 of 10, Hassan scored 1 of 1, and Nassir scored 1 of 3. Hoard and Simons were each 0 of 1, Melo was 0 of 3, Kent and Tolliver were each 0 of 4. For the game, Blazers made only 36% of FG and had only 14 assists! This is losing basketball.

It is important that Blazers get over illnesses and injuries and return to the energy exhibited in beating the Raptors. Let's hope for better in the coming home stand.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the 101-122 home loss Jan 11 to MIL Bucks. Blazers scored only 10 of 36 (a weak 27.8%) vs MIL 14 of 38 (36.8%). The Blazers were out-rebounded again! 48-60, and trailed from early in the 2nd Q. Hassan was missing due to illness.

Melo scored 3 of 7, Dame scored 3 of 8, CJ scored 3 of 9, and Tolliver scored 1 of 5. Simons and Hoard were each 0 of 1, Nassir was 0 of 2, and Kent was 0 of 3. The Blazers sorely need more swish3 scoring!

The Blazers can and should win the CHO Hornets game on Monday to get win 17 and minimize the losing streak.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the Jan 13 home win 115-112 over CHO Hornets. Blazers scored 16 of 37 vs CHO 18 of 38. This was an excellent game for Tolliver who led the 4th Q comeback after the Blazers lost the 16 point halftime lead due to excellent 4 of 4 swish3 shooting by CHO. Tolliver scored 16 of the Blazers' 24 points in the 4th Q, and made plays to keep the lead. Tolliver is impressive!

CJ scored 5 of 8, Dame scored 5 of 10, Tolliver scored 2 of 3, Kent scored 1 of 3, and Melo, Gary, and Simons each scored 1 of 4. Hassan was 0 of 1.

The 43.2% swish3 and 50.6% FG shooting was just enough to beat CHO, but at least 15 swish3s and even better % will be needed to beat HOU.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest, and failed to score 15, in the Jan 15 win 117-107 in Houston over the Rockets. Blazers scored 11 of 36 vs HOU 16 of 49. This was an excellent win for the Blazers, who played determined defense and kept up the halftime lead.

CJ led scoring 3 of 6, Tolliver scored 2 of 5, Kent scored 2 of 10, Nassir scored 1 of 1, Melo scored 1 of 2, Gary scored 1 of 3, Dame scored 1 of 8. Simons was 0 of 1. There was distributed swish3 scoring, and critical swish3s by CJ and Melo back to back at about 4 min that iced the game.

Holding James Harden to his season low scoring, good defense in the 2nd Q and 2nd half, winning rebounds 58-50, and winning FT by 9 points all contributed to a win that shows staying in the playoff zone is not out of reach. Let's imagine another good game against the DAL Mavericks!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers decisively lost (by 33 points) the swish3 contest in the Jan 17 loss 112-120 to the DAL Mavericks. Blazers scored just 9 of 30 vs DAL 20 of 47. Blazers allowed Doncic to score a career high 8 swish3s and Hardaway to score 5. CJ spained his left ankle after playing only 11 min.

Dame scored 3 of 10, Kent scored 2 of 5, Tolliver scored 1 of 2, and Melo, Simons, and Gary were each 1 of 4. CJ was 0 of 1.

Although Dame started off with hot swish3 shooting that gave an early 12-2 lead, DAL swish3 shooting got them back in the game. Blazers were out-rebounded 40-43 and had a 7 point FT deficit. There was some energetic Blazer play to stay close in the 4th Q, but adverse foul calls throughout the game, missed shots, turnovers, and inconsistent defense added up to a Blazer loss.

Let's aim for 15+ swish3 scoring, rebounding, passing, defense, and energy to beat OKC tomorrow!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest in the Jan 18 loss 106-119 to the OKC Thunder. Blazers scored 12 of 32 vs OKC 7 of 22. There were only 8 Blazers, as CJ and Tolliver were not in uniform. CJ was injured, but why in the world was Tolliver out? He is being traded, but not yet!

This was a career best game for Gary, who scored 5 of 9, scored 30 points, and didn't miss a shot until the 4th Q on his 21st birthday! Dame scored 5 of 12, and Simons and Little were each 1 of 3. Mario and Hoard were each 0 of 1, and Melo was 0 of 3.

This is a depleted team that did not have enough player energy to compete in the 4th Q, and needs some recovery. In the coming home stand, Blazers need CJ and Tolliver for additional swish3 scoring.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest in the 129-124 OT home win over GSW. Dame scored 61 points for a new Blazer record! The Blazers scored 14 of 44 vs GSW 9 of 36. This was a great game for Dame and Hassan and Mario, and was exciting as the Blazers trailed most of the game to come back in the 4th Q and OT. Early 33% swish3 shooting vs GSW 0% gave a 1st Q lead of 27-23, with FT keeping GSW in it, then GSW 50% shooting in the 2nd Q gave them a 53-57 lead at the half, which they carried through the 3rd Q into the 4th Q and OT when the incisive determination of Dame as team leader and Dame time swish3 shooting brought Dame to record swish3 scoring and the win.

Dame led scoring 11 of 20, Mario scored 1 of 2, Simons scored 1 of 9, and Gary scored 1 of 10. Nassir was 0 of 1 and Melo was 0 of 2.

This was a much needed come from behind win over a depleted GSW team that we needed to beat, and it depended on late game fighting spirit that is what we needed. This was a really entertaining game that included some beautiful swish3s by Dame and showed that we can win!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the Jan 23 DAL Mavs home loss 125-133. Blazers scored 21 of 39 vs Mavs 22 of 47. In the 1st Q, DAL scored 10 swish3s and a total of 45 points, as the Blazers allowed layups and were beaten on the boards while committing 4 TO. The lead grew to 15 at the half, from which the Blazers could not recover. Officiating was remarkably unprofessional again as there were numerous no-calls on Dame drives, most notably the hit in the head when the officials insulted Dame, and bias as if the refs were following Cuban rules again (as in the game in Dallas when any touch of Luka was a called foul, but Dame and other Blazers would get hard fouled with no call).

Dame led scoring 8 of 15, Gary scored 6 of 7, Trevor scored 4 of 6, Melo scored 2 of 5, and Simons scored 1 of 3. Mario was 0 of 3. Gary scored a total of 20 with 7 of 10 FG in 31 min and should be starting instead of Simons.

For the last 2 games (GSW and DAL), Dame scored a total of 108 points! This is all-star perfromance! Trevor had an excellent first game scoring 21 points on 7 of 10 FG shooting, with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 35 min. The back to back swish3s signal that we have another swish3 scorer that can help us win games!

 

[tlongII]

Is this what an echo chamber sounds like?

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 constest Jan 26 in the 139-129 win over IND Pacers. Blazers scored 20 of 35 vs IND 13 of 28. With this win, the Blazers have at last achieved a 50% home winning record. This was another excellent game for Dame who scored 50 points on 14 of 23 FG shooting, and with 13 assists!, aided by 28 points from CJ, and 21 points by Hassan, who also had 6 blocks!

Dame led scoring 8 of 12, CJ scored 6 of 9, Melo scored 2 of 3, Gary scored 2 of 4, Nassir scored 1 of 1, and Trevor scored 1 of 4. Simons was 0 of 2.

This was a game which the Blazers led from early on with hot shooting by Dame in the 1st Q (17 points on 4 of 4 FG and 7 of 8 FT), and hot shooting in the 3rd Q that shows the power of swish3 scoring. Let's continue the 20+ swish3s, passing, rebounding, and tighten up the defense to stop the layups and beat the Rockets!

 

[Lanny]

Yeah, they need Lillard to step it up.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest, although shooting better %, in the Jan 29 home win 125-112 over HOU Rockets. The Blazers scored 13 of 36 vs HOU 17 of 47. Dame was exceptional again achieving his first triple double with 36 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in 39 min. CJ had 22 points and 3 assists, Trevor had 21 points, and Hassan had 15 points and 5 blocks.

Dame led scoring 6 of 12, Trevor scored 3 of 6, Gary scored 2 of 5, Simons scored 1 of 1, and CJ scored 1 of 7. Nassir was 0 of 1 and Melo was 0 of 4. This was a good game for ball movement, in which the Blazers bested HOU with 24 vs 21 assists. Trevor, Nassir, and Gary had notable games with energy and defense throughout.

Dame is on a high performance roll, and can score a lot of points in the upcoming games. Now that the Blazers are at last up to a winning home record, there is a lot of reason for pride and confidence that can result in a much better winning % for the last half of the season.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest in the Jan 31 win 127-119 win over the LA Lakers. Blazers scored 13 of 36 vs LAL 11 of 32. Dame was exceptional again scoring 48 points, Hassan scored 30 on 13 of 14 FG with 5 blocks, and CJ scored 19 points. Wenyen started and played good defense along with Trevor, Hassan, Gary, and Nassir to maintain the Blazer lead.

Dame starred scoring 7 of 12, Nassir scored 2 of 4, Gary scored 2 of 5, and CJ scored 2 of 9. Wenyen and Simons were each 0 of 1, and Trevor and Mario were each 0 of 2. This was an entertaining game and a landmark for the Blazers!

This game again showed how determination and leadership by Dame is sufficient to beat even the conference leading team, and showed the remarkable achievement of scoring 40 swish3s in the string of the last 5 games. If Dame keeps playing like this, and Blazer passing and defense can be consistent, getting up to the 50% wins track might be possible.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest (but shot a higher %) in the Feb 1 home win 124-107 over the UTA Jazz. The Blazers scored 15 of 29 vs UTA 18 of 31. Dame set another record of 49 swish3s scored in 6 games and a string of at least 6 swish3s each. Dame scored 51 points on 17 of 29 FG.

Dame starred again scoring 9 of 15, CJ scored 2 of 4, Nassir and Simons each scored 1 of 1, Melo scored 1 of 3, and Gary scored 1 of 4. Trevor was 0 of 1. The efficient 51.7% Blazer swish3 shooting and scoring at least 15 gives us an enhanced chance of beating anyone. Let's keep up the great swish3 shooting by Dame, and get a few more from CJ, Gary, Nassir, and Trevor for wins against tough opponents ahead!

It is a true pleasure to watch Dame play this well, to see the Blazers work well together, to experience defensive intensity and energy, and to see the development of a winning team spirit. This is fun basketball to watch!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers badly lost the swish3 contest in the Feb 4 loss 99-127 to the DEN Nuggets. Blazers scored only 9 of 31 (29%) vs DEN 17 of 34 (50%). The 24 point swish3 deficit accounts for most of the scoring failure. Blazers scored only 10 points in the 2nd Q, and that 18 point deficit stuck for the rest of the game. Blazers allowed Will Barton 4 swish3s and 4 others each 3 swish3s! There was terrible defense!

CJ led scoring 3 of 7, Gary scored 2 of 5, Trevor, Simons, and Nassir each scored 1 of 3, and Dame scored 1 of 6. Mario was 0 of 1 and Melo was 0 of 3. The Blazers need 15+ swish3s to be in the game with strong teams like DEN, and must have others step up on nights when Dame doesn't carry the team with 8 or more swish3s.

To be competitive with the Spurs, we need Dame scoring 5+, CJ and 2 others each scoring 3+, and 1+ from another. Let's imagine 17+ swish3s!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest in the Feb 6 home win 125-117 over the SAS Spurs. Blazers scored 18 of 37 vs SAS 10 of 28. This was an excellent game for Dame with 26 points and 10 assists, for Melo with 20 points and 4 assists, for CJ with 19 points and 6 assists, for Hassan with 17 points (on 8 of 10 FG) and 23! rebounds, and for Gary with 18 points and 4 assists. Blazers passed, had 28 assists, communicated, and played defense!

Gary led scoring 6 of 7 (career high) off the bench, Melo scored 4 of 7, Dame scored 3 of 9, Simons scored 2 of 4, CJ scored 2 of 6, Trevor scored 1 of 4. In the 4th Q, Blazers scored 9 swish3s on 10 attempts and pulled away for the win!

Despite unprofessional officiating that strongly favored SAS who scored 25 FT vs Blazers 9, Blazer determination and focus, especially in the 4th Q, made this another great game to watch! If the Blazers can continue the consistent determined play with passings, assists, and defense, staying above 50% wins at home and getting to the 8th playoff spot is in reach. Let's imagine another excellent team play game against the Jazz tomorrow!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest in the Feb 7 loss 113-117 to UTA Jazz. Blazers scored 17 of 40 vs UTA 10 of 30. This game was an
egregiously unprofessional officiating job for which the 3 refs, Tiven, Forte, and Derosas should be fined. The goal tending no-call at the end of the game, giving UTA 8 more points by FT, the dozen or more no-calls of fouls of Dame, and 4 technicals on POR vs 2 on UTA show the bias.

Dame led scoring 8 of 14, CJ scored 5 of 10, Mario scored 2 of 5, and Gary scored 2 of 8. Caleb was 0 of 1 and Melo was 0 of 2. Simons was fouled badly enough to give him a concussion that gave him only 4 min in the game, and not even a common foul was called when it was a flagrant.

The Blazers deserve praise for determined play including good defense with Hassan missing due to injury and Trevor ejected 10 min in the 1st Q in this B2B. This game seems orchestrated to be a Blazer loss by the heavy hand of the refs. The Blazers shot only 1 FT in the 1st half!

Let's see fouls called with consistency at both ends of the court and an even chance given to the Blazers by the refs in remaining games!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the Feb 9 home win 115-109 over MIA Heat. Blazers scored 19 of 42 (45%) vs MIA 20 of 49. This was an excellent win over a winning team that featured a lot of 3s from both teams (total of 91). Dame had 33 points and now leads the NBA with 25 games of 30+ points. Gary had an excellent game off the bench with 22 points, notable shooting, great defense and hustle, and 4 steals, all with no TO. Trevor contributed 21 points on 7 of 10 FG shooting and had 3 steals and 1 block with no TO.

Dame led scoring 6 of 15, Gary scored 5 of 7!, Melo scored 3 of 6, CJ scored 3 of 9, and Trevor scored 2 of 4. Wenyen was 0 of 1.

This game shows that Blazer defense is improving and distributed swish3 shooting is powerful in winning games. This kind of play leads to wins! Let's imagine excellent play like this in the upcoming NOP and MEM games to get to 27 wins by the ASB, and continuing even stronger after the ASB with the return of Nurk and Zach.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers badly lost the swish3 contest in the Feb 11 loss 117-138 to NOP Pelicans. The Blazers scored only 7 of 29 (just 24%!) vs NOP 14 of 34. The weakness in swish3 shooting and allowing the most points scored assured the loss. Dame was contained in this game and shot too few swish3s.

CJ led scoring 4 of 8, Trevor scored 1 of 1, Wenyen scored 1 of 2, and Simons scored 1 of 4. Caleb was 0 of 1, Dame and Gary were each 0 of 4, and Melo was 0 of 5.

To have a chance for more swish3 scoring, Gary, Dame, and CJ need to shoot more swish3s. The goal should be 15+ swish3s to be competitive, and this needs more swish3 shooting by the productive scorers. And there has to be some defense! Allowing 75 points in the 2nd half and the flood of NOP drives to the basket, along with being out-rebounded 40-50 and out-assisted 21-40 show this was a down game for the Blazers. Perhaps the lack of defensive intensity and rebounding is a major reason for the unacceptable offense in the 2nd half and decisive loss of the game.

The MEM game can and should be a win if Blazer defensive intensity, communication, passing, and swish3 shooting improve tomorrow!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Feb 12 in the 104-111 loss to MEM Grizzlies. Blazers scored 13 of 37 vs MEM 6 of 23. This was a weak game for the Blazers who gave up 76 points in the paint, poor defense, poor rebounding, and not enough passing or good offense.

Simons led scoring 6 of 7, CJ scored 3 of 9, Dame and Trevor each scored 2 of 7. Gary was 0 of 3 and Melo was 0 of 4. Melo was a season low 1 of 15 for FG and should have been passing to Hassan and Simons to take shots. Melo has 0 assists.

This was a big letdown game after losing last night to NOP, and then not playing defense or having an active off-ball offense with communication and assists. This may also be effectively the end of the season with Dame being injured. Let's imagine Dame recovering, and Nurk and Zach returning after the ASB to allow 2 wins over MEM in the remaining season games.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers lost the swish3 contest in the Feb 21 home loss 115-128 to the NOP Pelicans. Blazers scored only 10 of 27 vs NOP 18 of 34. This was a game without Dame, with poor and inconsistent defense, with only 20 vs 34 assists, and with too many Blazer fouls called in the 1st half. Hassan had 6 blocks and CJ had 10 assists.

Gary scored 3 of 4, CJ scored 3 of 8, Melo scored 2 of 6, and Trevor and Nassir each scored 1 of 2. Wenyen was 0 of 1 and Simons was 0 of 4. Without Dame in the game, Gary, CJ, and Trevor need to step up the swish3 shooting to get to the goal of 15+ scored to give a chance to win. The Blazers should at least keep up the season average of 34 3PA per game.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest in the Feb 23 home 107-104 win over DET Pistons. Blazers scored 13 of 30 vs DET 11 of 34. This was a season high 41 points and 12 assists game for CJ with Dame missing, and Melo scored 32 pts. Gary provided some key defense.

CJ led scoring 6 of 11, Melo scored 5 of 9, Simons scored 2 of 5. Nassir was 0 of 1, and Gary and Trevor were each 0 of 2.

This was a strange game in which the Blazers dominate the 1st Q scoring 40 pts, but then went to sleep scoring only 13 and playing weak defense in the 2nd Q to let DET back into the game. DET even built a 10 point lead. But the Blazers fought back with determined defense and found scoring in the 4th Q to pull this game out against a weak team that should not have beat them on the home court.

Against BOS Celtics on the 25th, Blazers will need to score 15+ swish3s and aim for more than 130 point for a good chance to win. Let's imagine that CJ and Melo can continue to provide 72+ pts, and that Hassan, Trevor, and Gary can step up both defense and offense for a high power win!

 

[Minstrel]

Let's imagine that CJ and Melo can continue to provide 72+ pts

That's quite an imagination.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers badly lost the swish3 contest in the Feb 25 home loss 106-118 to the BOS Celtics. Blazers scored 13 of 31 vs BOS 19 of 39. And allowed Tatum to score 8 of 12! The 18 point swish3 deficit held the Blazers out of range for a chance to win the game.

CJ led scoring 5 of 12, Trevor scored 2 of 2, Melo scored 2 of 6, Hassan and Wenyen each scored 1 of 1, Simons scored 1 of 3, and Gary scored 1 of 5. Mario was 0 of 1.

Notable features were 10 assists and 3 blocks for CJ, 19 rebounds for Hassan, 5 of 6 FG and 17 pts for Trevor, 3 steals for Gary, and 2 of 2 FG, 3 RB, and 8 pts for Caleb.

Blazer defense was poor for most of the game, as we again watch way too many uncontested layups. With better defensive effort and more swish3 shooting, the Blazers have a chance to get wins on the upcomning road trip.

 

[swish3]

The Blazers weakly won the swish3 contest in the Feb 27 loss 100-106 to the IND Pacers. Blazers scored only 9 of 30 vs IND 8 of 25. The Blazers lost both rebounding 45-48 and FT scoring 9 vs IND 18. This was the 4th game without Dame. The Blazers played some defense in the 2nd Q holding IND to 13 pts and had a halftime 49-43 lead, but went inconsistent in the 3rd Q allowing IND 37 pts and too big a lead to overcome.

Gary led scoring 4 of 8, CJ scored 3 of 12, and Trevor scored 2 of 6. Nassir was 0 of 1 and Simons was 0 of 3. Hassan scored 18 pts on 9 of 15 FG with 16 rebounds and 4 blocks. Caleb scored 6 pts with 3 of 4 FG and 5 rebounds and an assist in 12 min.

The Blazers need more swish3 scoring (at least the 12 average or better 15+) and to improve swish3 and layup defense, and the next 7 games can be wins, especially with the return of Dame, and maybe Nurk and Zach!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers decisively lost the swish3 contest Feb 29 in the loss to ATL Hawks 117-129. The Blazers scored only 8 of 28 (an unacceptable 28.6%) vs ATL 18 of 42. This 30 pt deficit to ATL which has a much worse W&L record was due to playing terrible defense, not communicating, not passing, and having only 14 assists on another night with Dame missing.

CJ led scoring 3 of 9, Simons scored 2 of 3, Melo scored 1 of 3, Gary scored 1 of 4, and Trevor scored 1 of 6. Mario was 0 of 1 and Wenyen was 0 of 2. The Blazers allowed Hunter to score 6 of 9 and Graham 2 of 2 on bad long range defense.

This was a must-win game in which the Blazers had an early lead, but stopped playing defense, allowing 129 points total, with 40 in Q2 and 44 in Q3. For any chance to win most of the string of 7 that should have been a winning streak, much better play is necessary!

 

[swish3]

The Blazers won the swish3 contest Mar 2 in the 130-107 win over ORL Magic. The Blazers scored 16 of 33 vs ORL 14 of 43. This was a satisfying win with all starters + Mario in double figures, defense played, and a strong game for CJ, Gary, Trevor, Mario, and Hassan.

CJ led scoring 6 of 12, Gary scored 4 of 6, Simons scored 3 of 5, Trevor scored 2 of 7, Wenyen scored 1 of 1. Mario and Hassan were 0 of 1.

This was a game when swish3s allowed the lead to be established and the game to be won. This was the 6th game missed for Dame, who is expected to return for the WIzzards game on Mar 4. Let's continue with the better defense and the good swish3 shooting!