The Portland Trail Blazers ran over the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night at the Moda Center in the most comfortable of fashions.
The home team outshot the Hornets (58.6% versus 34.7%). They out-rebounded them (57 versus 37). They out-assisted them (37 versus 19) And they out-hustled them (eye test!). The dominance resulted in the largest margin of victory in franchise history: 141-88.
“This franchise has been around for awhile, so that’s a pretty incredible feat,” Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups told reporters after the 53-point win.
Anfernee Simons dropped a team-high 25 points. Jabari Walker provided 20 points and 14 rebounds off the bench. Shaedon Sharpe added an efficient 20 points off the bench. Deni Avdija bulldozed his way to three and-1s and 15 points. Scoot Henderson pitched in a fine 13-point, five-assist performance.
Among a crowded list of candidates, forward Toumani Camara stole the show, and he got the biggest applause from the crowd when he checked out for the last time. Camara spearheaded a defensive effort that shut down Hornets star LaMelo Ball, holding the young gunslinger to 1-10 shooting for five points. On top of the typical defense, Camara registered 20 points on 7-9 shooting, 10 rebounds and six assists. The two-way play produced a Louvre-like individual plus/minus of plus-45.
In the postgame press conference, a reporter asked Camara how he’s grown the most offensively during his second season.
“I would say confidence,” Camara answered. “All of the skills that I’m showing right now, I feel like they’re something that I’ve had a long time.”
“When Tou is a finished product at some point, I don’t know when that’s gonna be because he’s still very early in it,” Billups added. “He’ll be able to do both. … He’ll be able to score and impact the game offensively, as well as, obviously, we know how good he is defensively.”
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25884451/usa_today_25491297.jpg)
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
With the Blazers playing so well collectively and individually, the team pounced on the inferior Hornets, who finished the night with a 14-41 record. The Blazers went up 16-4 in the opening minutes, 38-21 after one, 73-40 at half, and 109-66 after three. The lead got as big as 54. Practically the entire second half was mop-up time.
The performance presented the home crowd with an easy-going, lopsided win in a season where the Blazers are typically on the receiving end of those beatdowns. Portland has now won just five games this season by more than 20 points, while losing 15 games by over 20, including three infamous home losses by margins of 36, 42 and 45. After coaching Portland through three of the top-five largest losses in franchise history during his tenure (62, 60, 56), Billups now owns the franchise’s largest win. It’s irony fit for an Alanis Morissette lyric.
“We’ve definitely been on the other side of that too many times as a group is what I just told our guys,” Billups said. “It feels good to be on this side of it. It just feels good to see our guys have so much success playing the right way.”
“I’ve lost by that much,” Camara answered when asked if he’s ever won a game by that much in his life.
Camara’s retort sparked flashbacks of those dark losses earlier this season when opposing teams made the game unserious way too fast, and then embarrassed the Blazers in their own gym with fast-break dunks. This time, however, it was Camara, Henderson and Duop Reath breaking away for dunks with the game already well out of reach.
Rather than a feeling of angst littered with boos, Saturday’s atmosphere was pleasant and light. The second half was suited for pitching a hammock in an emptier row and shutting your eyes, the remaining ups and downs of the crowd noise providing a backdrop like waves on the beach. It was like a summer picnic with occasional fireworks going off in the distance. It was like that Chicago song, “Saturday in the Park.” As Walker and Reath kept scoring buckets in the fourth, there very well could’ve been a man on the sideline selling ice cream, singing Italian songs.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25884450/usa_today_25491378.jpg)
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
The Hornets are cellar-dwellers, but they don’t get blown out too often. Entering Saturday, Charlotte had lost only four games this season by at least 20 points. Taking care of business in a game where you’re supposed to is nice. Saturday was nice.
“I love it,” Walker said. “I want to do it again. Let’s break [the record]. Let’s break it next game.”
Other Game Notes
— This season, Billups has often pinpointed defensive rebounding as an area where the Blazers need to improve. Portland’s 57-37 rebounding advantage against Charlotte marked a season-high margin of plus-20, (as Billups noted, when you win like that, you set a lot of season-highs). Walker was asked what led to the great night on the glass. Here’s his response:
“I feel like a big part was me being out there, honestly. I think I help the team with rebounding. I always try to bring that when I’m on the court, so I think me being out there was a big part, and everyone else as well. There were some other guys who had some big numbers, rebounding-wise.”
— Jusuf Nurkic, now a member of the Hornets, was back in the building Saturday. He’s been in Portland a lot recently. The week before the Phoenix Suns traded Nurkic to Charlotte at the NBA Trade Deadline, they played two consecutive games at the Moda Center. Nurkic and Phoenix lost those two games, meaning Nurkic is now 0-3 at the Moda Center during February alone. While he remained on the bench during the games with Phoenix, he logged 16 minutes on Saturday, finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
