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Following a flat performance in the Blazers' 106-94 loss in Charlotte on Sunday, CSNNW's Jason Quick points at head coach Terry Stots' post-game comments as potential warning signs for his young squad.
There were some pretty major red-flag words being thrown around after Blazers' loss Sunday in Charlotte https://t.co/fn2wQIIwZW
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) November 16, 2015
Stotts' remarks, per Quick's latest Trail Blazers notebook:
"I didn't think we gave it as much effort as we needed to be,'' Stotts said. "I didn't think we were as focused mentally as we needed to be on individuals and I thought those two things combined created a downward spiral.''
The Blazers gave up 71 first-half points to the Hornets and allowed them to shoot 65 percent from the field. Former Blazer Nicolas Batum put up a 33-point performance in the reunion, 20 of which came in that first half. Al Jefferson also scored 20 in the opening periods on his way to 29 points in the game, prompting Damian Lillard to point out his team's defensive deficiencies in his post-game comments.
"The first half we let them play free and easy,'' Lillard said. "We let them get to spots they wanted to get to. We weren't on the same page. We didn't communicate, we are not aggressive enough, not playing hard enough. The possessions we did play hard, we weren't playing smart enough.''
Also discussed in Quick's piece are Moe Harkless' recent difficulty finishing dunks, Noah Vonleh's first start with the Blazers, Cliff Alexander's NBA debut, and Lillard's thumb injury.
Read the full story here.
The Blazers return to action tonight in San Antonio against the Spurs, winners of their last four games, including a victory in Portland on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Tonight's game is set to tip at 5:30 p.m. PST and will be shown on CSNNW.