The Blazers are experiencing a season of contrasts. Leaving aside the extra sports issues, the team is showing two opposite faces depending on whether it plays on its court or on the road. With last night’s win they have increased the balance at home to a fantastic 6-1; the point is that as a visitor they have practically the opposite: 1-7 …
In any case, last night it was joy. They received the Raptors and did it with the novelty of Damian Lillard, who returned to action after resting a game (because Chauncey Billups wanted it) because of an abdominal distention. The All-Str point guard had a good performance, enough to go up to 24 points and 8 assists. He was satisfied, but understands that they must transfer this performance to the games they play as visitors.
“When we play at home we are a different team than we see when we play as visitors. That’s the truth. And I’m not sure what the reason is. I think when you are at home there is a level of comfort and support that you feel from the fans, but at the same time, we are NBA players. We play a lot on the road and we must improve, “he says.
The victory fell on the local side, but it was not easy at all. During the first half Toronto enjoyed advantages that reached 14 points. Portland did not despair and was cutting ground until the game was even at halftime. Already in the fourth quarter the Blazers were up to 13 points up, but could not prevent the Canadians from being just one point with less than two minutes to play. That is how the Raptors rebellion came. Two free throws by Norman Powell and a triple by CJ McCollum (he went to 29 points) closed the night.
Toronto in a bad time
The Raptors started the season well, but now they have linked five losses in the last six games to get a negative balance (7-8). The return of Pascal Siakam has not finished giving them momentum, although against Portland he went up to 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. The top scorer for the Canadians was OG Anunoby with 29 points, who understands that the greatest success of his rival decided the match.
«They made difficult shots. We were playing hard, but they kept making difficult pitches. It is something that happens sometimes. They have good players on their team, “he says.
Less understanding was Nick Nurse, coach of Toronto, who assures that there were times when his boys did not measure up. «The beginning of the second quarter and the last one, supposes a disappointment. The momentum changed in the match and it put us in a hole from which in the end we could not get out ».
(Photograph by Abbie Parr / Getty Images)
