Exclusive GAME# 54: HEAT @ BLAZERS - FEBRUARY 9, 2020 - Quote Book

[SlyPokerDog]

Postgame Notes – February 9, 2020

Portland 115, Miami 109

Game No. 54, Home Game No. 26



TEAM

• Portland shot 19-of-42 (45.2%) from 3-PT range, while Miami was 20-of-49 (40.8%) from deep. It was the 10th time in Trail Blazers history that Portland made at least 19 threes, while the Heat made 20-plus threes for the third time in team history.

• The Trail Blazers recorded nine steals and six blocks to the Heat’s six steals and five blocks.

• Portland was 40-of-85 (47.1%) from the field, while Miami shot 39-of-98 (39.8%). It was the eighth time in the last nine games that Portland has shot at least 45% from the field.

• Six Trail Blazers scored in double figures for the 12th time this season. Every player who scored for Portland finished in double figures.

• Miami outscored Portland in transition, 20-18.



PLAYER
• Damian Lillard led Portland with 33 points (11-23 FG, 6-15 3-PT, 5-6 FT), four rebounds and eight assists in 37 minutes. It was his 25th game with 30+ points this season, which is the fourth-most in the NBA.

• Damian Lillard scored at least 20 points for the 19th consecutive game, tying the longest streak of his career (Feb. 9 – Mar. 27, 2018).

• Gary Trent Jr. finished with 22 points (8-11 FG, 5-7 3-PT), four rebounds and four steals. It was the second-highest scoring game of his career (30, Jan. 18, 2020 vs. OKC), and his four steals tied a career-high (four, Feb. 7 at UTA).

• Trevor Ariza tied a season-high with 21 points (7-10 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 5-5 FT) to go with four rebounds, five assists and three steals in 39 minutes. Ariza scored 15 points in the first quarter.

• Hassan Whiteside finished with 11 points (3-8 FG, 5-8 FT), 17 rebounds and four blocks in 35 minutes. It was his 39th double-double of the season, good for fifth-most in the NBA.

• Carmelo Anthony recorded 15 points (6-14 FG, 3-6 3-PT), six rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. It was his sixth time scoring in double-figures in his last nine games.

• CJ McCollum had 13 points (5-15 FG, 3-9 3-PT), four rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes.

• Goran Dragic led Miami with 27 points (8-20 FG, 5-13 3-PT, 6-7 FT), four rebounds and seven assists off the bench. It was his second-highest scoring game of the season (29, Jan. 5 vs. POR), falling short of his previous game against the Trail Blazers.

• Jae Crowder scored 18 points (6-11 FG, 5-8 3-PT, 1-2 FT) to go with 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in his Heat debut. It marked his sixth double-double of the season.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS

On overall thoughts of the game…

“I think we’re playing good basketball; I think we’re playing tough, Miami is a difficult team to play against because of their style. I just liked our toughness more than anything else, both mental and physical toughness to win a game. We’re becoming more and more shorthand; we compete and find ways to put ourselves in position to win games. So I’m proud of our team right now.”

On Damian Lillard’s defensive effort tonight…

“Dame’s been playing great, he does whatever it takes. It’s obvious to everyone what a competitor he is, and how important winning and making it to the playoffs is, and he’s doing whatever it takes.”

On if the team’s ‘toughness’ has improved…

“Probably, I don’t know. I think if you look at Gary Trent (Jr.) and how he’s really come along, I think he’s certainly grown. I don’t wanna say toughness cause it makes it seem like they weren’t tough before, but the experience, what you can do, anticipation, all that, I think we’re playing better as a group, everybody. Hassan (Whiteside) is playing better, I think Dame (Damian Lillard) obviously over the last two or three weeks is playing at a different level, I think Trevor (Ariza) and his toughness and his experience has certainly helped, Melo (Carmelo Anthony) has always been that type of player, so we’re relying on our starters who do a lot of that. So basically the starters and Gary Trent played the bulk of the minutes, and guys off the bench, you know Caleb (Swanigan) came in and banged and did what he could, and same thing with Wenyen (Gabriel). You need that in games.”

On the Blazers taking about half their shots from the three point range…

“Good. I feel great about that. We can get good looks from threes, we have a lot of good three point shooters. It’s not easy to get good threes, they shot 49 and only made 20, that’s kinda the way the league is going, but I do think we have a good paint presence. One thing, Damian’s (Lillard) penetration and Hassan’s (Whiteside) paint presence opens up the opportunities for threes. So the fact that Dame can shoot deep threes opens things up as well.”

On if the offense has been flowing better as of late…

“It seems that way. I know a lot of people have pointed to our low assist totals, and 20 is not necessarily a lot, but I do feel like obviously it starts with Dame (Damian Lillard) and how he’s playing and that opens things up for everyone else. Gary Trent (Jr.) has come in and had some really good shooting games and that’s made a difference for us, same thing with Trevor (Ariza). But I do feel like everybody kinda knows what’s going on and can anticipate the next play, or the next pass, or the next screen. I do think it seems like they’re just understanding everything a little bit better.

On what Coach Stotts accredits Gary Trent Jr.’s last few performances to…

“You’d have to ask him, but he’s playing with a lot of confidence. But I think the passing, he’s had some good looks, I think that helps, he’s a really good shooter, he’s a confident shooter, that helps. But he’s gained a lot of experience over time and the opportunity that he has now because of injuries he’s taken advantage of it. But a lot of it is him taking advantage of the opportunity more than anything. I think he’s grown defensively, I’ve said that many times, but I think that’s carried over to his offense as well.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

DAMIAN LILLARD


You played most of that game with only eight players – all hands on deck?
“Yeah it was. I don’t even think – obviously we notice when a guy goes down, but I don’t think we change our mentality because we’ve been up against that all season long. So we just kind of kept battling.”

What can you say of Gary Trent Jr. lately – finding his rhythm offensively and defensively?
“You just love to see it. I told him the other day – I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud or happier for another player or a younger player since I’ve been in the league than I am of what he’s been doing. Second round pick – he’s a McDonald’s All American, went to Duke and you know, he comes out and doesn’t get opportunity right away, has a lot to learn. He was young, 19 years old, his dad played in the league – so I mean, he just had a lot to figure out and he did it. Over the summer, he did the work. He came back in shape, he was lean, low body fat, you could tell he was picking up the plays easier, he was picking up the defensive assignments easier. You can just tell he was locked in from camp and still came to start the season and wasn’t playing a lot but he stayed with it and I think all of those things that he did from day one as far as growing up and getting better and paying attention, it’s just shining right now and it looks good. It’s not like garbage minutes – he’s doing it in the first half, he’s doing it in big stretches of the game, towards the end of the game. And I think it shows in how everybody’s showing trust in him. Sometimes he’s guarding the guy that they’re going to and he’s hitting big shots as well. So super happy for him.”

On Ariza and his stability:
“It’s a veteran presence. He’s been on championship teams, he’s been on really good teams. He just knows how to impact the game on both ends of the floor.”

You had 6 in double figures tonight- how much does it help you to have that balance?
“It helps a lot. Obviously when don’t have that balance, I’m probably going to look at it and think I have to a little bit more or I’m probably going to have to use more energy and try to force things to make things happen, but in a night like tonight, when we had that type of balance, I think that’s how you can have a better chance to beat really good teams and down the stretch, I’ll have more energy and I’ll be able to be stronger and more efficient to close out games. So I think it’s really helpful when we have that type of balance.”

Do you come into a game against a good three point shooting team thinking you need to get threes up because they’re going to get them up too?
“I don’t think our mentality is, we’ve got to get them up because they’ve got to get them up. We just want to try to limit their opportunities. The teams that shoot a lot of threes are really good at getting them so they just happened to get a lot of threes up and our coaches have been on us a year and a half now like we need to shoot more threes. Tonight was a night where we was firing them.”

On winning 7 of 10 and finding a groove:
“Yeah, I mean it feels good to just be playing the right way and we feel like a winning team regardless of what our record is. We feel like a winning team and we’re playing like a winning team. Obviously, we wish that we weren’t in the position that we’re in but thankful that we’ve got a lot of games left and the way we’re playing, it’s looking like we’re going to give ourselves a great shot at being in the playoffs.”

Coach mentioned your toughness – how would you say that manifests itself on the court?
“I think we’re just buckling down. I think we recognize that the games chopping, chopping away and we’re getting almost in the 29, 28 games left area so I just think the urgency, the fight has just been there and I think that’s why we’re having the kind of performances that we’re having because every guy on the team has it.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

HASSAN WHITESIDE

“In the postgame interview you came up to Dame and said, ‘We got shooters,’ just how much fun are you having with this group?”

I love this group, they’re going to just get better, we’re going to just get better. Guys are going to come back from injuries, and it’s just going to get better, and I’m excited.

“What do you think of the performance of Gary Trent Jr. tonight”

Unbelievable, he wasn’t playing at the beginning of the season, I think last time we played them he barely played. He’s coming into his own, he’s coming in shooting, he’s not afraid, and I’m loving every part of it. He’s adding another dynamic out there.

“You held them under forty percent, how do you feel about how you guys are playing defense right now?”

Defense is what we’ve been working to. When we come out here, I think it was really Trevor (Ariza), Trevor comes in there and giving me that confidence to go for every blocked shot. I’m going to go at them at the rim, I don’t know what they finished at the rim, but I don’t think it was that high percentage. Those guys did a hell of a job of just chasing Duncan Robinson, he’s a really good shooter, chasing Goran Dragic, he’s a really good shooter. Those guys have shooters too and they’ve been knocking down all season.

“How does Trevor (Ariza) help you guys defensively? Has he made your job easier?”

He made my job a lot easier, just adding that size and that veteran leadership. He always has his hands in the passing lane, he gets steals, he’s active. He’s just a great defensive mind, he’s the definition of a three and d guy.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

HEAD COACH ERIK SPOELSTRA


On tonight’s defensive strategy

“Yeah, a lot of these were created off of the pick and roll trigger with Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum. This is different than what we’ve faced the last two games. A lot of these were off the bounce or trying to prevent them from shooting those deeper ranges than your usual. Your defense gets spread out, but our disposition was better tonight. You look at across the board, if you didn’t look at the final score, there’s probably a lot of areas that we want. Offensive rebounding, fast breaks, points in the paint; our winning numbers were there. As we say all the time, that doesn’t guarantee you anything. It gives you the best chance to put yourself in a position to win. That’s why you have to be consistent and it took some great plays for Lillard to make going down the stretch. That’s what great players do. There were good things, obviously incorporating Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder was a big plus for us. They’re veteran players so they pick things up very quickly, it felt as if they were here for a while and not just joining us 48 hours ago.”


On Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder having Miami Heat qualities

“They’re multi-dimensional two-way players. Jae (Crowder) makes those Miami Heat “tough” plays. When he dove on the ground, that was a welcome to how we believe the game should be played. Andre (Iguodala) just does so many smart things, I didn’t even look at the box score but the majority of them probably don’t show up because his IQ level is so high. Both of those guys are going to help for sure.”


On Iguodala and Crowder playing extended minutes tonight so quickly

“Well, we’re obviously short-handed. Jae, that’s no problem because he’s played all season long. He’s started all of their (Utah Jazz) games and played 30 minutes a game, he’s ready for this. Andre, I wasn’t planning on it.”


Thought on Gary Trent

“Yeah, he’s really stepped up and played well. It’s not easy to be a role player with great players. You have to do a lot of the little things, you have to defend, and then often times at the end of the clock when it gets out of the great player’s hands, you have to be able to step up with confidence and make shots. He certainly did that tonight and it felt like at least a handful of possessions that we did about as good of a job as you can do on Lillard, got the ball out of his hands which is very hard to do, and then it ended up in Trent’s hands and he made those shots. It could have looked different if he missed a couple of those, but he stepped up.”


Thoughts on defending the three-point shot with everyone making so many of them

“It just depends on who is shooting the threes. You got to have the right guy shooting threes. Duncan (Robinson), that’s his best shot. We’re going to get him as many as he possibly can, even more he played 38 minutes tonight. Wayne Ellington got 20 attempts from behind the line and they’re all good attempts, same thing with Duncan. Going on the way teams are playing him, he’s a great shooter. The scouting report goes if you go under, he’s going to make you pay. I like that number of attempts, that’s what was available.”

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Jae Crowder


What do you bring to this team?


Besides shot making, I’m going to compete at a high level. Besides what happens, each night I bring my hard hat and I compete for my teammates. I just want to have my teammates back and I want them to have my back in the trenches.


Do you think your style of play fits this team’s mentality?


No doubt. You come in and hear ‘compete, compete’, I’m a competitor and I do things that people don’t want to do in this league, dive on loose balls, rebounding, boxing out, it’s key in this organization and you feel it right when you walk through the doors you know what you’re up against so you got to bring it every night.


How do you see Andre (Iguodala) playing when he gets in a rhythm?


He’s a champion. He knows how to make winning plays, championship plays, so it doesn’t surprise me. That’s what he’s been doing his whole career, making a winning play and doing stuff that won’t show up in the box score but as a teammate you notice it and you feel it and he does a great job of putting us in a position to win the game.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Goran Dragic


What do you think of the teams three point defense?


It’s still a challenge but we feel like we defend pretty well. It’s tough, they have shooters out there and Dame (Damian Lillard) is launching from the logo and you always have to have two guys on him and they have (Trevor) Ariza, Melo (Carmelo Anthony), CJ (McCollum), so it’s tough. I’m happy to see the new guys playing well and we’re just going to get better. We have a back to back tomorrow so we will try to forget this game and move on.


Were you surprised with how well you guys connected with a couple new players?


I was really surprised, especially now with Iggy (Andre Iguodala) and Jae (Crowder) coming here to manage two players you can see how our defense was solid. Crowder made some big threes and Iggy is such a versatile player, he can handle, he can pass the ball, he can make plays. Basically we didn’t practice yesterday but you can already see that we got good chemistry and it’s good for the future.


Offensively, was it the flow or were you trying to be more aggressive with guys out?


Just had to be more aggressive with guys out so I had to make plays and coach expected it from me. In the end, you just have to go out there and fight but it was not enough.


Is there something you think you guys need to adjust based on the first three games on this road trip, from the three-point defense standpoint?


It depends what kind of defense we play. The first two games we played a lot of zone, tonight we didn’t as we played a little more man-to-man. Especially when they set the screen, Damian is such a special player, he stops right behind the screener and shoots it, so it’s tough to contest that. He can break down the defense, from there on you need to have your full attention to try to get to the other guys. We feel like we need to do a better job of packing the paint and closing out to shooters.


Everyone talks about the little things Andre does, is that something that’s apparent in a game like tonight?


He’s an unbelievable player. Maybe he doesn’t put a lot in the stats but when you watch, you can see how much little things he does for the team. He’s a very versatile defender who can play all five positions and he’s a great player who can read the situation and get everybody involved and he runs the floor. He’s just a complete player who has a lot of experience in the playoffs and he was MVP of the finals.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

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