4 things the Portland Trail Blazers need to do better to win the series

1. Not allowing so many offensive rebounds and second chance points

Even though the Trail Blazers haven’t played their best games this series and Lillard hasn’t been the same as round one, they have had every chance to take full advantage in this matchup. The main reason why this series is tied 2-2 is that the Nuggets are dominating the offensive glass and getting a lot of second chance opportunities.

Through four games, Denver is averaging 17.8 offensive rebounds per game, and has an offensive rebound percentage of 37.3 percent. This is just another way the Nuggets are winning the possession battle. The Blazers have averaged 92.5 field goal attempts per game this series and Denver has averaged 97.5 field goal attempts per game. That’s five more opportunities for them to score the basketball.

The Nuggets grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter of Game 2 alone. They are more physical down low and seem to want the ball more than the Blazers. If Portland is just a bit stronger on the defensive glass, then Denver is not gaining extra possessions for more chances to score.

Because the Nuggets are so active on the glass, they’re scoring 18.0 points per game off second chance opportunities. They are either putting it right back up or kicking it out to a teammate for an open 3-point shot. In their Game 4 win in Portland, they had 20 points on second chances.

Being destroyed on the glass has been a common theme this series for the Blazers, and it needs to be fixed if they want to have any success going forward. They can’t just keep allowing the Nuggets to push them around and get more chances to score.