Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 6 win vs. Nuggets

3. Improved defense and rebounding

Defense and rebounding were huge issues in Game 5. The Blazers gave up 124 points, the most in regulation during this playoff run. Also, Denver grossly out-rebounded them 62-44. The most glaring part of that was they allowed 52 defensive rebounds off their 62 missed shots (their offense wasn’t so hot that night, either).

Portland improved dramatically in both departments in Game 6. This time, the Nuggets barely inched them out 44-43 in the rebounding battle. They only pulled down 28 defensive boards off the Blazers’ 48 missed shots. Meanwhile, Portland snagged 32 defensive rebounds off its opponent’s 53 missed attempts.

Defensively, the Blazers were much more astute both in transition and the half-court. Their 117.4 defensive rating was their lowest since Game 3. There were some mistakes along the way, such as digging too deep on Jokic post-ups and leaving shooters open or not stopping the ball on the fast break. However, there was far less of that compared to the last game.

The Blazers did a good job of returning home and retooling their effort on defense and on the glass. That increased focus and energy went a long way towards helping them remain in this series.