Personally, I didn't think that was a bad performance as much as a horrible shooting performance and a missed opportunity. The Blazers got both their bigs in foul trouble early, got good shots, forced them into difficult shots ... but let them hang around because we couldn't make wide-open jumpers or layups or free throws. Then, our defense lost its poise for a couple of possessions and we were playing uphill the rest of the way.
This was one of those weird games where Nurk's numbers look good but if you watched him play it was pretty uneven and disengaged. He wasn't just missing FTs, he was missing them badly, he took one bad jumper that he missed badly and he missed a layup or two. Also didn't really rebound well.
Until Ant gets confidence in his handle and the mentality to attack the hoop, he's going to become easier and easier to defend. The book is out on him. Stay on his right hand, keep him in front of you, he's avoiding contact and he'll settle for a tough jumper. He's no threat to drive or to pass. Just wastes the shot clock dribbling around the perimeter. This is OK if you are such a gifted shooter that you aren't going 0-for-7 off the bench in a half. He needs to get to the line when his jumper isn't working because his only tool is scoring.