Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 loss vs. Nuggets

2. The dreaded third quarter

The Trail Blazers outscored the Nuggets 98-89 in the first, second and fourth quarters. However, a brutal 27-14 third quarter was all it took for Portland to end up on the losing end Sunday.

Rip City went 5-for-18 (27.8 percent) from the field in the third, including going 0-for-7 from 3-point range. They also committed seven turnovers, led by Kanter’s three. Those takeaways turned into 11 Denver points. Portland was also dinged for seven fouls, with Lillard’s three leading the way.

In a tight series like this, you have to play consistent basketball for a full 48 minutes (or more, as was the case in Game 3). For the 12 minutes after halftime, things really fell apart for the Trail Blazers.

They were able to recover their offensive efficiency in the fourth quarter, dropping 35 points on 13-of-20 (65.0 percent) shooting and not committing any turnovers. However, it was too late to save the game, as the Nuggets kept pace by scoring 32 points. Portland will simply have to make a better commitment to consistency in Game 5.