A Humbling Defeat for the Blazers at Moda Center
The Portland Trail Blazers faced a significant setback on their home court, experiencing a crushing 132-87 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. With Memphis operating without key players Ja Morant and Desmond Bane due to injuries, the game could have been an opportunity for the Blazers to capitalize and regain some momentum; instead, it turned into what their head coach Chauncey Billups described as an "embarrassing" defeat.
The tone of the game was set early, with Portland trailing by 19 points at the end of the first quarter. By the second quarter, things had only worsened as the deficit ballooned to 25 points. The Grizzlies, undeterred by their undermanned roster, extended their lead to a daunting 35 points by the third quarter, leaving the Blazers searching for answers with each passing minute.
Portland's shooting performance was nothing short of disastrous, especially from beyond the arc. The Blazers managed to convert a mere 4 of their 42 three-point attempts, posting a woeful 9.5% shooting percentage from distance. This inefficiency was a crucial factor in their offensive struggles, as the team registered an offensive output of just 80.9 points per 100 possessions—a mark that stands as the worst in the NBA this season.
After suffering a third consecutive defeat, the Blazers' record slipped to 3-8, a clear indication of the difficulties the team is currently facing. In the aftermath of the game, Billups did not hold back in his critique. "It was just f---ing embarrassing, to be honest with you," he said, offering no illusions about the state of his team. "We were soft as hell the whole game. Nobody really fought. It was just embarrassing."
Billups emphasized the sheer lack of effort that characterized the match, noting, "I told 'em that anybody that sleeps well tonight, you're a loser. It’s just that simple. You sleep well after this one, you’re a loser." He didn't single out individuals, instead holding the entire team accountable for the subpar performance. “I'm not just going to pinpoint one or two guys; they all were terrible. But for the most part, everybody, they all sucked,” he stated pointedly.
Portland fans are accustomed to seeing their team exhibit grit and resilience, attributes Billups insisted were absent in this particular game. "We've lost by more points than this, but it's how. It's just you're laying down and just kind of caving in and giving in," he explained, highlighting a lack of the usual fight and determination expected from the players. “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.”
Accepting responsibility, Billups expressed his commitment to leading the team through this challenging period. "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 acknowledged, reinforcing his role in cultivating a competitive spirit within the squad.
Looking ahead, the Blazers are slated to face the Minnesota Timberwolves twice in the coming days, once in the NBA Cup on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. These back-to-back matchups present a critical opportunity for the team to recalibrate and demonstrate that the performance against Memphis was an anomaly rather than the standard. With the league's spotlight watching closely, how they respond to this adversity may well define the remainder of their season.