The Portland Trail Blazers took on the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night in the season’s first set of NBA Cup games. The Blazers came out the gate strong and never let up, cruising to a 122-108 victory at The Moda Center.

If you missed the first 11 games of the season and decided to tune into tonight’s game, you would assume the Trail Blazers were undefeated and showcasing the top defense and three-point shooting in the league. Sadly this is not the case, but it was fun to see what this young Portland team is capable of against one of the NBA elite squads, who just two games ago beat the Blazers by 25 points.

The Blazers played without starting center Deandre Ayton and lost starting point guard Anfernee Simons in the first quarter due to injury. These losses would have normally sent the team spiraling into a dark void of nothingness. Tonight it created opportunity for Donovan Clingan, Delano Banton, and game MVP Rob Williams III to shine.

At the end of the day, the Blazers shot 56.3% from three-point land. That was the difference-maker in the game. Portland put their length to work and held the Timberwolves to 37% shooting from deep. In a season where wins will be hard to come by, it was nice to see the Blazers start 1-0 in the NBA Cup.

Here are several factors contributing to the victory.

Defense

Having the tallest team in the NBA would normally be an advantage. If this was 1980, the Blazers would be dominating every team in their path. But last time I checked, it’s 2024 and every NBA team has to be able to defend the paint, switch on everything, and knock down three-point shots at a high clip. Tonight the Blazers did all of those things very well.

Portland’s defense swarmed NBA Superstar Anthony Edwards and the rest of the ‘Wolves backcourt. Toumani Camara took up the challenge to guard his former Georgia Bulldog teammate and was a menace. Deni Avdija used his length to disrupt shooters and played the passing lanes in order to force steals.

If the defense on the perimeter played well, the interior defense played out of this world. The rookie Clingan set the tone early in his first start of the season, swatting away a hook shot from Minnesota big man Rudy Gobert on the first play of the game. That single block proved a prelude for the rest of the night. Clingan played a season-high 21 minutes. His stats won’t jump out at you, but the gravity he shifts on the defensive end of the court is noticeable.

If Clingan set the tone on defense, then Rob Williams III finished the song. Williams was simply amazing tonight for the Blazers (more on this later). He ended the night with three blocks and three steals and was able to help on switches and rebound in traffic, collecting nine boards.

All in all, this was a stellar defense night from the Blazers.

The Long Ball

In the Blazers’ previous game against the Memphis Grizzlies, they shot just 9.5% beyond the arc. After that night, it looked like Portland would never make another three-point shot again. Apparently they were just saving all the makes for their first NBA Cup game. The Blazers went 18-32 from deep.

They way they got those shots caught me off guard. They moved on offense and looked for the open shooter. Camara and Avdija benefited from running off screens and calling for the ball. Shaedon Sharpe and Banton took more of their threes off the dribble, but they were getting comfortable looks, not forcing the action. It’s easy to get locked down by the Timberwolves perimeter defenders, so it was encouraging to see this type of performance against them.

Time Lord

Let it sink in. Robert Williams III tallied 19 points while shooting 9-10 from the field with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks, and a +13 rating in 25 minutes. Honestly, Williams looked even better from an eye test perspective than his stats showed. He connected on multiple lob passes and was a vocal leader on the defensive end of the court. I know much was said in the offseason about when (not if) Williams would be traded, but if he can stay healthy, the Trail Blazers may want to consider keeping him.

Finishing at the Rim

The Blazers can get to the hoop anytime they want. The speed of Scoot Henderson, the craftiness of Avdija, the athleticism of Sharpe, and the shiftiness of Jerami Grant make containment really tough on defenders. The issue all year has been finishing when the Blazers get those easy looks.

Tonight against Rudy Gobert, Portland did a much better job of connecting on close attempts, drawing fouls, or passing the ball to the open man. The Blazers need to lean more into this superpower and use it to their advantage. Not only will it put them in a position for easy points, it will create open looks for others at the arc.

Bench Scoring

Portland’s second unit outscored the Timberwolves reserves 64-39.

28 of Minnesota’s bench points came from just one player, Naz Reid. Portland had a more balanced attack. They were forced to go to their bench early with the Simons injury and the experiment paid off. The Blazers have a deep, if young, rotation. It will be hard to tank if the bench provides balanced scoring and this kind of defensive effort every night.

Up Next

Boxscore

The Blazers get these same Timberwolves tomorrow night at 7:00 PM, Pacific.