The Portland Trailblazers came into Barclays Center ready to take on the Brooklyn Nets. They were aiming to cool off the explosive Brooklyn team and get their 3rd straight win. Prior to this game, Portland has wins over Indiana and Memphis. On the other hand, Brooklyn was on a 4-game win streak. They have victories over Boston, Phoenix, Toronto, and Indiana. Although Brooklyn got Kyrie Irving back, they were no match for Damian Lillard and Portland.
Overall, the first quarter was very low scoring and was kept close. Brooklyn started out hot, but by the end of the quarter, they were down to 35% from the field. Meanwhile, Portland was up to shooting 43%. Just under 5 minutes to go, a 7-point lead was in favor of Brooklyn. That would not last for long, though. It was a 2-point game going into the second with a score of 25-23, Brooklyn still on top.
Portland took their first lead of the game early on as Carmelo Anthony went to the line to shoot 2. Following that play, Anthony’s team eventually took a 6-point lead. However, a bucket from behind the arc by Blake Griffin cut it to 3. From there, it was all Brooklyn. They were able to make it a 1-point game which forced Portland to call timeout with a minute left. Nonetheless, Portland was able to hold on to their lead to go into halftime up 59-57.
Kyrie Irving opened the third quarter with a jumper to tie the game. A few possessions later, a dunk by Joe Harris gave Brooklyn their lead back. At the 8:30 mark, Lillard’s jumper put Portland back on top, and they never looked back. With just about 2 minutes left, Portland was up by 10. Soon, it would stretch to 15. Brooklyn was able to come within 7, but that was it. The scoreboard read 94-81 going into the fourth.
Things did not look much different in the fourth quarter as Portland was still in the driver’s seat. About a little under the halfway point, Brooklyn was in a 17-point hole. They wanted to talk it over, but it would not get any better. Portland was shooting 42% from deep, and most of that was on behalf of Lillard. When the clock struck triple zeros, the visiting team walked out with a victory. Portland blew out Brooklyn 128-109.
Leading his team was Lillard with 32 points. Jusuf Nurkic finished with a double-double. He had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Irving led Brooklyn with 28 points. Jeff Green was behind him with 16.
One thing that has been present in Portland’s 3-game win streak was their solid defense.
“Our team is at that point where we’re either going to fall apart or dig out, he said. “You know cone together and get ourselves right,” he added. “I think we’re showing some signs of moving in the right direction.”
Up Next
Both teams will be back in action on Sunday, May 2nd. Brooklyn will visit Milwaukee at 3:30 pm. Portland will visit Boston at 7:30 pm.
