The Western Conference’s No. 7 seed play-in matchup on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet+) features two very similar squads – and not just because expectations for both were very low back in October.
Both teams like to play a hard-nosed style of defence with the Suns owning the ninth-best defensive rating (112.9) and the Blazers 12th (113.5) in the league this season. Both squads can also struggle offensively, but also feature all-stars in Devin Booker and Deni Avdija. And both clubs feature first-time, first-year NBA head coaches who should at least get some Coach of the Year votes in Jordan Ott and Tiago Splitter.
No, the Blazers didn’t necessarily want Splitter at the helm this season. But with Chauncey Billups getting arrested for his alleged involvement in an illegal gambling scheme and subsequently being suspended by the NBA, Splitter managed to guide Portland through rough waters with a steady hand.
And though not anywhere close to the same kind of situation the Trail Blazers went through with Billups, Ott came into a rough spot in Phoenix after a disastrous last season. A team that had both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal appeared to quit, leading to sweeping changes to the coaching staff and front office. Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets and Beal’s contract was bought out.
Ott was supposedly stepping into a pigsty, but managed to emerge from his first season smelling fresh as daisies.
Awaiting the winner of this matchup will be the mighty San Antonio Spurs, a team on paper that should have little difficulty handling either Phoenix or Portland. However, the physical style of defence both teams play could prove to be more of a pain for Victor Wembanyama and Co. than many would likely expect.
The loser of Tuesday’s game will get another chance to advance to the playoffs at the end of the play-in tournament.
Here’s a little more on Tuesday’s match:
(7) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers
Season Series: Suns lead 2-1
Nov. 14: Suns 127, Trail Blazers 110
Feb. 3: Suns 130, Trail Blazers 125
Feb. 22: Trail Blazers 92, Suns 77
The tough-minded, physical play the Suns adopted as their identity this season can be traced back to the acquisition of Dillon Brooks (and Jalen Green) as part of the Durant blockbuster.
Never one to turn his nose at a sleight – be it real or perceived – the Canadian agitator seemed to make it his personal mission this season to let the Rockets know that they gave up on something special. He had the best season of his career at age 30, averaging 20.2 points per game on 43.5-per-cent shooting from the floor and a 34.4-per-cent clip from deep.
The Suns, perhaps relieved to no longer have to deal with some of the drama that comes with having Durant or Beal, embraced Brooks’ abrasive style of play and attitude. Ott wisely shifted the team’s identity to be more of one that plays on the edge, looking to be more physical on both ends of the floor.
It worked, and resulted in a nine-win improvement for the Suns from a season ago.
There is concern with leading scorer Booker’s efficiency, but he remains a walking bucket, dropping 26.1 per night along with six assists per game. The greater concern with Phoenix is the fact that the team as a whole hasn’t been great offensively down the stretch, owning just the 22nd-ranked offence since April 1 and shooting a dismal 46.4 per cent from the field in that span (good for 24th in the league).
While the Trail Blazers don’t play a particularly pretty style of basketball – as just the 21st-ranked offence in the NBA this season – they do play an effective one.
Since March 1, the Blazers have owned the ninth-ranked net rating (plus-6.1) thanks almost entirely to their No. 2-ranked defence during that span that has only allowed 108 points per 100 possessions.
The Trail Blazers are kind of like the poor-man’s version of the Oklahoma City Thunder in that they feature plus-defenders up and down their lineup, highlighted by Toumani Camara, Matisse Thybulle, the massive front line of Donovan Clingan and Robert “Time Lord” Williams III, and Jrue Holiday.
Though Holiday’s trade to the Blazers from Boston was seen as a step down for the 35-year-old veteran, he simply put his head down and played the kind of solid ball you could always expect from him over the course of his career. Holiday averaged 16.3 points and 6.1 assists per game on 45.1-per-cent shooting from the floor and a 37.8-per-cent mark from deep.
Holiday’s steady hand and veteran leadership allowed a young Blazers team to have a chance to find its footing over the course of the season and position itself to make the post-season for the first time since 2021.
Avdija’s emergence, of course, is another major factor for Portland’s success this season.
As it turns out, all it took for the former No. 9-overall pick to blossom was to leave Washington. The 25-year-old took a star turn this season, averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game on 46.2-per-cent shooting.
If the Blazers are going to make it back to the playoffs, it will be on the back of two things — the suffocating defence they’ve been playing of late, and Avdija proving his breakout regular season can translate to the post-season.
X-Factor: Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers
Though his defence leaves much to be desired, if this contest ends up being the slugfest it has the potential to be and scoring is challenging, Canadian Shaedon Sharpe could be a game-breaker for Portland.
Booker and Avdija will likely have their hands full with players like Holiday and Brooks digging into them, meaning both teams will in all likelihood need to find secondary scoring.
For the Suns this means either Brooks, who might end up too gassed because of what he’ll need to do defensively to really make an impact, or Green, who remains notoriously inconsistent, and will also have to deal with Portland’s pit bulls out on the perimeter.
This leaves a clearer pathway for Sharpe, who is one of the NBA’s most explosive and majestic athletes, seemingly capable of getting any shot he wants because of his outlandish physical tools.
He’s yet to become the kind of efficient downhill scoring monster that he has the capability of being, but the native of London, Ont. has shown flashes over the course of his four-season career, and could seemingly erupt for 35-plus points at any moment.
Why not make that moment in the biggest game he’s ever played?