Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 7 win vs. Nuggets

3. Blazers controlled the pace for most of the game

One way to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers is to outrun them. During their regular season, they averaged about 100 possessions per 48 minutes, only 18th-most in the NBA. If you can pull off a few breakaways and knock down a few 3-pointers along the way, you’ll likely keep the Blazers at bay.

That’s what Denver did to start this game. From 8:52 in the first quarter, when the Nuggets were only up two, until 7:26 in the second quarter when they were ahead by 17, they push the game to a pace of 101.8 possessions per 48 minutes. However, once Portland began steering the ship, things changed. During their 24-point swing, the Blazers held proceedings to a pace of 90.3 possessions per 48 minutes.

Defensively, slowing things down helped them clamp Denver down in the half-court. Offensively, it gave Lillard and McCollum time to spread out and prod the defense for scoring and playmaking opportunities. A slower pace is where Portland is most comfortable. Once it was able to stop Denver’s transition attack, the team began to feel at home on the road.