Chauncey Billups is happy with the Trail Blazers’ performance against the Utah Jazz

The coach was impressed with what he saw from his team in the pre-season match, despite the loss.

• by
  
  Connor Bergin
  

• on October 15, 2023 at 10:13 am

The Portland Trail Blazers stayed in the fight until the end against the Portland Trail Blazers Utah Jazz Saturday night but ultimately fell on the road 138-133.

Several Blazers had strong scoring nights in the preseason loss, headlined by Anfernee Simons who scored 29 points on 12/15 shooting. Despite the absence of center Deandre Ayton from the starting lineup, the Blazers didn’t let the Jazz take over the glass. Portland tied Utah 38-38 on the boards and won the offensive rebounding battle 16-5. This helped Portland make 28 more field goal attempts than Utah, attempting 102 field goals to Utah’s 78.

In the end, the Jazz’s efficiency (56.8% from the field) and 3-point shooting proved to be too much for a young Blazers team. However, it was the kind of performance that Portland coach Chauncey Billups felt satisfied with in the postgame press conference.

“I think it was a good game for us. I really do. This is a good team. They are a difficult team to guard because of their size and length, and we wanted to keep them out of the offensive goal. We held them to six.” [offensive rebounds]. This is a team that probably averages 10, 12, 14 during the season, so we worked hard, and we ended up getting 15 offensive rebounds, so I was happy with that. I thought we did a pretty good job of taking care of the basketball. Anytime you look at a stat sheet and we hit 102 shots, that’s unbelievable. Get up and down and play the way we played, obviously one or two get down here or there and shoot, it’s a different ball game. I was only proud of the men. “They fought hard.”

Combined with Simmons’ hot shooting, forward Jerami Grant added 24 points in an efficient shutout on September 12, and Shaydon Sharp smoothly worked his way to an impressive 20 points off the bench after struggling against the team. Phoenix Suns Two nights ago. But the standout performer that night wasn’t one of the 20-point scorers. That title will likely go to rookie striker Toumani Kamara.

The second-round pick thrown in the Damian Lillard trade from the Suns stuffed the stat sheet on both ends against Utah. Kamara had 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal and two impressive blocks in 25 minutes off the bench. Kamara also shot 3/4 on 3-pointers. It was a surprising performance, one that caught the attention of Blazers fans on social media, along with that of Billups.

“There are so many things to love [Toumani]”The thing that sticks out to me is his toughness,” Billups said. He doesn’t stop playing. [It can] If it’s a breakaway layup, there could be someone leaning toward him at a disadvantage. Does not care. He knows no fear. He’s a competitor. This is what I love most about it. … These are opportunities for people like him to gain not only the trust of the coaches, but the trust of his teammates as well. And that’s exactly what he does.”

Portland’s other, more famous player, Scott Henderson, No. 3 overall, had mixed results in his second outing against true NBA competition. Henderson struggled with his jump shot, shooting 6/17 from the field and 2/7 from beyond the arc, but the 19-year-old still tallied a very respectable 17 points, eight assists and two turnovers. Thanks to his attacking and passing abilities, Henderson has continued to show great potential as he adapts to his new level of competition. Billups said this is all part of the process.

“I thought Scott’s floor game was good. He does a good job of just seeing guys when they’re open. He’s whipping up those passes all over the place. It’s just beautiful to see. He’s going to grow a lot over the next month or two just in his understanding of the NBA game.” His understanding of the opponents he plays against and, most importantly, his men.

Henderson and the rest of his teammates will have another preseason opportunity to grow together on Monday night. The Blazers play the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix on Monday at 7 p.m

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