The Portland Trail Blazers’ perfect start hit the wall on Thursday night, and Damian Lillard’s night from deep told the story.
After a hot stretch that had carried Portland early, Lillard went cold in the Blazers’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished 1-of-9 from three-point range and ended the game with nine points, two rebounds and two assists. The Blazers, who had been rolling, suddenly looked like a team that had run out of answers once the shots stopped dropping.
That was the larger problem all night. Portland could not buy a basket from outside, and Memphis made them pay for it.
Toumani Camara was the only other Blazer who was even remotely steady from deep, finishing 3-of-8. But the rest of the group struggled badly. Deni Avdija went 0-of-4, Donovan Clingan was 1-of-3, Sidy Cissoko missed all three of his tries off the bench, and Scoot Henderson went 1-of-5.
As a team, Portland shot 12-of-49 from three, a brutal 24.5 percent. Memphis, by contrast, buried 18-of-42 from long range for 42.9 percent. That gap mattered, and it showed up in the final margin: a 21-point loss for the Blazers.
Lillard’s line wasn’t the entire reason Portland lost, but it fit the bigger issue on display. This team can lean on the three-ball, and when it’s going, it can be dangerous. Thursday night was the reminder that there has to be something else available when the shots aren’t falling.
That’s the test for Portland now. The threes can be a strength, even a defining one. But against Memphis, the Blazers showed exactly why they need a backup plan.
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