In a disheartening loss marked by a cascade of miscues and missed opportunities, the Portland Trail Blazers were thoroughly dismantled by the Memphis Grizzlies, falling 132-87 at the Moda Center. This uninspiring performance was made even more glaring by the absence of Memphis stars Ja Morant and Desmond Bane, who were sidelined due to injuries.
Portland's Struggles from the Start
The Blazers found themselves in a deep hole early on, trailing by 19 points in the first quarter. As the game progressed, their predicament only worsened, with the deficit ballooning to 25 points in the second quarter. By the third quarter, the Grizzlies had pulled away to lead by an astounding 35 points, putting the game far out of reach for Portland.
A particular sore spot for the Blazers was their catastrophic three-point shooting, as they converted just 9.5% of their shots from beyond the arc. An abysmal 4-of-42 shooting from three-point range underscored a night where nothing seemed to go right offensively. The Blazers managed an offensive output of only 80.9 points per 100 possessions, the lowest in the league this season.
Outspoken Remarks from the Coach
In the wake of this defeat, Portland's head coach, Chauncey Billups, did not mince words. Candid in his assessment, Billups described the performance as "just f---ing embarrassing, to be honest with you." His frustration was palpable as he continued, "We were soft as hell the whole game. Nobody really fought. It was just embarrassing."
Billups, who appeared visibly irate, held his players accountable in his post-game comments. "I told 'em that anybody that sleeps well tonight, you're a loser. It’s just that simple," he said. "You sleep well after this one, you’re a loser." He also refrained from singling out individuals, asserting that "anybody that tells you that that one person was good, they're lying to you. I'm not just going to pinpoint one or two guys; they all were terrible. But for the most part, everybody, they all sucked."
A Season on the Brink
This loss compounds an already difficult start to the season for the Trail Blazers, now owning a record of 3-8. The defeat marked their third consecutive loss, a streak they wish to end soon. Looking ahead, Portland must regroup quickly as they are set to face the Minnesota Timberwolves twice in the coming days, first in the NBA Cup on Tuesday and again on Wednesday.
Billups emphasized the need for accountability and resilience, taking personal responsibility for the situation. "At the end of the day, that's on me. I'm the leader of this. This is our team, but I'm the head of this. So, to me, I take that very personally,” he stated. The coach expressed bewilderment at his team's lackluster effort, noting, “I really don't know where that came from, to be honest with you. We scrap. That's what we do. We don't win all our games—not even close—but we fight. We don't lay down. And today they laid down.”
The Trail Blazers must confront these challenges head-on, using this bitter loss as a catalyst for change. With the coach clearly drawing a line in the sand regarding effort and intensity, the coming games will be a critical test of character and resolve for this struggling team.