Tag: Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard had the funniest Coachella-themed reason he was hyped to return to the playoffs

Dame Time belongs in the postseason, not a music festival, during April.

After a short break and one massive trade, Damian Lillard returned to the NBA postseason this year.

Lillard had made the playoffs every year in the Western Conference between 2014 and 2021, missing out on the competition in just his rookie year on the Portland Trail Blazers. But his final two years in Portland, the Trail Blazers didn’t qualify for playoff action.

Now an All-Star on the Milwaukee Bucks, the point guard returned to form under the bright lights of the postseason. During his first game back, he was able to score 35 points and secure a victory over the Indiana Pacers.

When asked what he missed about the playoffs, Lillard had the best response.

“The last two years, not being in the playoffs, it sucked. Early vacations. Last year, I went to Coachella. I ain’t never been able to go to Coachella. It’s playing in the playoffs every year. So just having that long summer, I was over that.”

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a well-known annual festival held in California during mid-April.

That usually coincides with the first round of the playoffs, when Lillard is typically busy putting on a show for basketball fans all around the world.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrKX25ALMEc/

He was part of a pop-up event for Adidas in collaboration with festival headliner Bad Bunny.

While it is sad to picture the guard begrudgingly trying to enjoy himself at a music festival when he would rather be hooping, it is good to see him back in playoff action where he belongs.

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Jaylen Brown gets 10,000th point as the Boston Celtics beat the Portland Trail Blazers 124-107

The Celtics defeated the Blazers 124-107 in their 78th game and 62nd win of the NBA’s 2023-24 season.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 124-107 in their 78th game and 62nd win of the NBA’s 2023-24 season at TD Garden this past (April 7) Sunday night. In that game, the Celtics saw star forward Jaylen Brown put up the 10,000th point of his pro career.

It also saw a video tribute of the former Boston players Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and Dalano Banton. This, and the fact that the Celtics’ Stay Ready Crew got Boston the win with the Celtics’ starters staying on the bench for the contest’s final frame were the high points of an otherwise forgettable Boston outing. 

The hosts of the CLNS Media “Garden Report” podcast, Bobby Manning, Josue Pavon, Jimmy Toscano, A. Sherrod Blakely and John Zannis offered insights and analysis from Boston’s game vs. Portland this weekend. Check it out in the clip embedded below.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics squelch Blazers 124-107 at TD Garden as Jaylen Brown hits 10k points

It was not the most intense game of the season but it had moments.

Even without the services of star forward Jayson Tatum (out resting with what was described as a knee contusion), the Boston Celtics had very little trouble taking care of business against the Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden on this past (April 7) Sunday evening.

It saw fellow star forward Jaylen Brown log the 10,000th point of his career, and saw some nice video board salutes for former Celtics Robert Williams III, Malcolm Brogdon, and Dalano Banton as well. But those little perks were among the more exciting moments of the game, with neither team invested in risking injury for a win both clubs slightly unconcerned with.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took a closer look at the game after Boston won 124-107. Check it out below!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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PHOTOS: Boston vs. Portland – Celtics light up Blazers 124-107

Let’s take a look at some of the best moments captured in images in the Celtics’ 78th game of the 2023-24 NBA season vs. the Blazers.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 124-107 Sunday evening at TD Garden. With the win, the Celtics move to 62-16 with four games remaining for the regular season.

Portland played Boston even for much of the game. This was in part thanks to a dominant showing on the glass, and the Blazers secured 22 offensive rebounds. This more aggressive play kept things close, although the Celtics led for nearly the entire game. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla once again opted to task his bench players with earning the win, and sat his starters for the entire fourth quarter. Boston’s second unit rose to the occasion, pushing the Celtics over the Blazers in the end.

Let’s take a look at some of the best moments captured in images in the Celtics’ 78th game of the 2023-24 NBA season vs. the Blazers.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Chauncey Billups believes in Scoot Henderson: I’m very confident he will be a star

Scoot Henderson has had a challenging rookie campaign with the Trail Blazers, but the organization believes he has a bright future ahead.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Scoot Henderson has had a challenging rookie campaign with the Portland Trail Blazers, but the organization believes the 20-year-old has a bright future and is standing behind him.

Henderson is averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds on 38% shooting from the field in 56 games. He is fourth in the rookie class in scoring and is one of seven first-year players with multiple 30-point games (2).

On paper, Henderson looks to be having a productive year.

However, Henderson has dealt with injuries throughout the year (ankle, foot, adductor) and has struggled with his efficiency and defense. He has the third-worst true-shooting percentage (48.1) among rookies who have appeared in at least 25 games. He also recently recorded the worst plus-minus in history after he was minus-58 in a 142-82 loss to the Miami Heat on March 29.

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups doesn’t seem all that concerned with the inconsistent play of Henderson this season, given the circumstances surrounding him.

He is up and down like any rookie, especially a rookie that is a point guard, which is, to me, the toughest position in our game to play. Sometimes, it looks like he has played 3-4 years in the league and, sometimes, he looks his age. He had a rough night a couple of nights ago, so if I’m talking about that game, I’m saying he hasn’t grown that much. But if I’m looking at him after practice yesterday, I’m saying he looks like a five-year vet. That’s just kinda how it has been for him and it is all great learning moments and teachable experiences. I would just say this: I’m very confident that Scoot is going to be a star in this league.

Henderson offered a glimpse of his overall ability to affect games on Monday in a one-point loss to the Orlando Magic. He neared a triple-double with 13 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in nearly 35 minutes in his 26th start of the season.

Last season with the G League Ignite, the third pick was highly touted as a floor general who can get his teammates involved and penetrate into the paint. He had those traits on display against the Magic and nearly had the game-winning assist after getting the ball to Deandre Ayton for an open shot as time expired.

His ability to affect games has resonated with his teammates.

“He gets everyone involved and gets guys to their spots and a lot of stuff that’s not on the stat sheet that he does for us, and we know and appreciate,” Dalano Banton said. “I think that goes the most for all of us: What doesn’t appear on the stat sheet and for him being a leader and a young, vocal guy. He isn’t shy to step into that point guard role. He talks to all of us as if he isn’t a rookie and I think that is big for him going into his future.”

Henderson demonstrated he can play either as a starter or a reserve player, giving Billups some flexibility. The team has dealt with several injuries, prompting some rather rare lineup combinations, but it has given Henderson the opportunity to log extended minutes.

Although the results have been inconsistent, Henderson has shown what he can bring nightly with more development and time on the court. His coach and teammates can see it and believe it is only a matter of time before he puts it all together.

“He is getting better and better,” Ayton said. “He is going to be one dangerous player. The way he is so fast and so strong, the league is going to be aware of how easy he can get to the rim when he wants to. I think we’re all just waiting on Scoot to tell us what he wants to do, you know? We’re just reading off him and making him grow and work outside that box and be the point guard we want him to be and making him feel like there isn’t so much on his shoulders. … Dude is on a great track.”

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Trail Blazers rookie Toumani Camara diagnosed with season-ending injury

Trail Blazers rookie Toumani Camara will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured left rib and a small laceration in the kidney.

Portland Trail Blazers rookie Toumani Camara will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured left rib and a small laceration in the kidney, the team announced.

Camara sustained the injury on Wednesday in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He stayed overnight in a hospital in Atlanta for further observation and has been released. He will return to Portland for further testing and is expected to make a full recovery.

He recorded 17 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes before the injury.

Camara had missed three games this season, though will miss the last eight contests. He leads the team in games played (70) and is second in total minutes (1,739).

Camara finishes the season averaging 7.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 45% shooting from the field. He is one of two first-year players with at least 350 points, 300 rebounds, 60 steals and 35 3-pointers (Victor Wembanyama).

The 52nd pick was part of a historic lineup when the Trail Blazers became just the second team to start five rookies on March 23. The team kept that lineup for the next two games, becoming the first to start five rookies multiple times.

Camara was acquired from the Phoenix Suns as part of the three-team trade involving Damian Lillard. He was viewed as a key part of the trade for the Trail Blazers and emerged as a valuable member of the rotation this season for Chauncey Billups.

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‘Last of a dying breed’: Rockets find leadership, flexibility in Fred VanVleet

“He is the last of a dying breed,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups says of Rockets veteran Fred VanVleet. “He plays the game from the neck up.”

Coming off a 34-point performance in Saturday’s blowout win over the Utah Jazz, including 10 made 3-pointers, tying a franchise record, veteran Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet felt good heading into Monday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.

VanVleet’s attitude changed quickly when Portland’s lineup of young rookies put Houston on its heels early. His 1-of-11 shooting (9%) in the first half was much different than his 7-for-8 (88%) start two days prior. Combine VanVleet’s anemic start with a 23% showing from Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson, and that 51-47 halftime deficit looked like a generous gift from the Blazers.

Then, just as they have done numerous times during their current nine-game winning streak, Houston bounced back in the second half as Jalen Green torched Portland’s defense for 19 points (finishing with 27). It was his sixth straight game to score 25 or more points.

But as impressive as Green’s second-half performance was, it was the resurgence of VanVleet that helped the Rockets win, 110-92.

“He is going to keep his head in the game,” Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said about VanVleet’s resiliency. ‘He did not have a ton of assists due to us shooting poorly, but he was making the right plays.”

After the halftime break, Udoka used a different strategy to get VanVleet going as he turned his miserable first half into a respectable 4-of-7 shooting (57%), 13-point second half.

“What we tried to do was take him off the ball a little more,” Udoka said of the change in approach. “They were switching a lot and that gave us some trouble in the first half. We took him off the ball and ran some backside action that got him some better selections. That is the luxury with him. You can play him on or off the ball.”

VanVleet has been a calming presence for Houston this season, with his veteran leadership helping guide young players such as Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., and rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore as they seek to maximize their potential.

But it isn’t just coaches and teammates that recognize what VanVleet has done to help the Rockets (36-35) get over the hump this season. Opposing head coaches, such as Portland’s Chauncey Billups, acknowledge what he has done to help the Rockets improve.

“He is the last of a dying breed,” said Billups, who played 17 seasons in the NBA. “He is a pure point guard. He plays on both ends of the floor, and he plays the game from the neck up. That is not the case as much anymore, as the game has changed a bit in terms of that.”

“He is just a leader and has brought them (Rockets) that stability, he has brought them some toughness, he has elevated their (basketball) IQ, and he makes the game easy for a lot of those guys over there,” Billups concluded. “I think he allows Jalen Green to go and do what he does because he can put you in the right spots at all times. He knows how to speed the game up and slow the game down when it matters. It is a real treat to have a guy like that, and I am happy for Freddy.”

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Trail Blazers make history with all rookie starting lineup in consecutive games

With the Trail Blazers down several veterans, coach Chauncey Billups has been forced to lean on his rookies of late.

With the Portland Trail Blazers down several veterans, coach Chauncey Billups has been forced to lean on his rookies and it has resulted in a rather rare starting lineup combination.

Playing without Deandre Ayton (elbow), Malcolm Brogdon (elbow), Jerami Grant (hamstring), Shaedon Sharpe (core muscle), Anfernee Simons (knee), Robert Williams III (knee) and Matisse Thybulle (ankle), the Trail Blazers have had been short-handed.

Billups started five first-year players on Saturday against Denver: Kris Murray, Toumani Camara, Duop Reath, Rayan Rupert and Scoot Henderson. It marked the second time a team started five rookies in a game since starters were first tracked on box scores in the 1970-71 season; Golden State became the first team to do so in April 2012. Billups kept that starting lineup on Monday against Houston, making them the first team to start five rookies in multiple games in the same season.

The lineup dropped to 0-2 after losing 110-92 to the Rockets in the first of a seven-game road trip. Dalano Banton paced the team with 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists off the bench, while Henderson had 15 points and Camara added 12 points for the Trail Blazers (19-53).

Murray (4 points), Reath (8) and Rupert (9) combined for 21 points.

Billups expects some of their injured players to return at some point over their last 10 games of the season. However, in the meantime, that starting group of rookies will have the opportunity to log extended minutes to close out the season.

“I think we have so much growth and development that needs to happen,” Billups said, via Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. “Obviously, we know we’re not going to the playoffs. But these dudes need to get better. They need to get to know each other while paying. The only way you get better at basketball is playing basketball.”

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Trail Blazers’ Scoot Henderson reacts to NBA shutting down G League Ignite

The NBA and the G League announced on Thursday that the Ignite will conclude their final season this year.

The NBA and the G League announced on Thursday that the Ignite will conclude their final season after serving as a development program for the top prospects for four seasons.

The decision to shut the program down was made amid the changing basketball landscape, including the emergence of name, image and likeness licensing and the rising role of collectives and the transfer portal in the college game. Ultimately, the league opted it was best to end the program altogether.

The Ignite helped produce 10 NBA draft picks over their first three seasons, including Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Dyson Daniels, MarJon Beauchamp and Scoot Henderson. Nine former players were on rosters entering this season.

Henderson, speaking with Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report, wasn’t surprised to see the program end, but he was very thankful for his two years with the team.

There were multiple reasons that it shut down. But whoever played on the team and made an impact for ourselves and in the world, that’s all you can think about. I really thank the people at Ignite. The little people that you don’t see. They don’t really get enough credit for how much they have to pour into us.

The coaches, they don’t get enough credit for having to get guys from high school, to get them up to speed in a few weeks to play some grown men that have children to feed. You don’t see that. You see them getting beat a lot and having a horrible record. You don’t see the things that they go through day-to-day.

Launched in April 2020, the Ignite provided a professional platform for players in the United States. The team gave those prospects the opportunity to compete against existing teams in the G League in front of scouts, executives and coaches.

Henderson became the youngest professional basketball player in U.S. history when he signed with the team in May 2021 (17). He was the No. 10 overall prospect in his class and was the first player to spend two years with the program.

The Ignite this year, who have projected draft picks Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland and Izan Almansa, have the worst record in the G League during the regular season (2-30) and are last in point differential among all teams (minus-15.1).

Despite the decline of the program and the decision to end it, Henderson remains thankful for the opportunity the Ignite gave him to prepare him for the NBA.

“From my viewpoint, they helped me in a huge way to be where I am right now,” Henderson said. “I can’t thank them enough.”

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Damian Lillard traveled to Chicago to watch Bulls play Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard was at the United Center to watch the Chicago Bulls play the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the Portland Trail Blazers to town on Monday night. A little under two hours north of the United Center are the Milwaukee Bucks and Damian Lillard, who has a long-standing connection to the Trail Blazers. So, on Monday night, Lillard made the trek down to Chicago to watch the Bulls take on his former team.

This past summer was dominated by the Lillard trade saga, as it was clear that his time in Portland had come to an end. He originally requested to the Miami Heat, but after those plans failed to come to fruition, the Trail Blazers moved him to the Bucks. But he still clearly has a lot of love for the organization.

The House of Highlights YouTube channel posted a video of Lillard pulling up to the United Center to watch the Trail Blazers play the Bulls.

Chicago ended the night with a win, taking down Portland by a score of 110-107.

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