The Magic sank the Blazers

With four losses in their last five meetings, Portland hosts the Magic in the middle of a “road trip”, losing last night to the Sacramento side. It was the perfect opportunity for the Blazers to revive at home, after 7 straight losses on the road, but Orlando came to win over Oregon (109-106).

Franz Wagner (29 points) and Wendell Carter Jr. (20 points, 10 rebounds) was really led by a conquering Magic, who most of all knew how to fight the Blazers’ comeback, from -8 to 3 minutes. from the end at -1 in 24 seconds, thanks in particular to Anfernee Simons then Damian Lillard.

In a bad patch, so Portland began a four-game home series with a loss against Orlando, succeeding for the first time this season to win the second night of back-to-back (from 8 attempts).

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

– The Blazers are chasing the score. Back and forth at halftime, at 50 everywhere, the fates of the two teams clashed. In this case, after catching their first deficit in the first quarter (-13), the Blazers were trapped on the way back from the locker room. Too permissive, they received a hot 13-0 entry from the Magic in the third quarter, forcing them to chase the score throughout the second half. Their comeback in the last three minutes was ultimately too short.

– Portland with no address at this time. As a symbol of their game, the Blazers had three chances to tie on the final possession, all three coming from 3-pointers. And missed three! Jerami Grant, then Jusuf Nurkic, then Anfernee Simons didn’t steal an extension. But before that, Portland ate the sheet at address from away with a tiny 6/35 at the end, for a pokey 17%…

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Franz Wagner. Cautious the day before in the loss at Sacramento, with just 16 points on the clock, he was more aggressive against the Blazers. The German winger finished with 29 units, a very accurate 12/20 on shots, and most importantly had 15 of his team’s 27 points in the final quarter!

✅ ⛔ Damian Lillard. He nearly did his classic again at the end of the game, with 11 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, including 5 to come close to leveling in the final minutes. But, like his team, Damian Lillard lacks the skills from long range to compete (2/12 from 3-point range).

✅ ⛔ Paolo Banchero. The Seattle native was clearly motivated in his return to the Northwest, and he still finished with a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. But his 5/16 on shots proves he was a bit wasted in the end.

⛔ Jeremy Grant. A big rookie for the Blazers this season, he’s off to a strong start but the veteran winger is starting to tire. In the trough of the wave at the moment, he chained a third straight game below his average of 22 points, in 16 units. Even worse, he’s stuck at 1/17 3-pointers this season…

THE FOLLOWING

Orlando (15-26) : continuing the road trip with a trip to Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Portland (19-20) : Cavs reception, Friday.