Portland Trail Blazers: Top 10 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season

PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 23: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers waves goodbye to the Oklahoma City Thunder after hitting a last second 37 foot game winner to end Game Five of the Western Conference quarterfinals during the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on April 23, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won 118-115. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

4. Reserves rally to win season finale

With Game 81 ending in dramatic fashion the night before and the playoffs days away, Game 82 of the 2018-19 season seemed like the perfect time to rest starters and let the end of the bench pick up some major minutes.

This is something that head coach Terry Stotts chose to do in the final two games of the 2016-17 season. The Blazers would go 1-1, defeating the San Antonio Spurs while falling short to the New Orleans Pelicans. On this night they would host the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings were already eliminated from playoff contention and therefore had nothing to lose. While the Blazers only played six players, Sacramento utilized all 13 of its active men. In the first half, the difference in resources was very apparent. With 30 seconds left in the second quarter, the Kings were ahead 87-59, their largest lead of the game.

From there, the Blazers began miraculously chipping away. Portland had a 36-26 third quarter to close the gap to 113-98. They then utilized a 20-4 run to take a 118-117 lead with 7:05 left in the fourth. Portland never relinquished the lead, ultimately winning 136-131.

Three players — Jake Layman and rookies Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr. — stayed on the floor the entire game. Zach Collins was the only man off the bench, playing just over 13 minutes. Simons led the team with a game- and career-high 37 points. Trent’s 19 points were also his personal best.

This game showed that the Trail Blazers roster, 1-15, came ready to play all season. In this case, the end of the bench got their shot at big minutes in a NBA game and rose to the occasion. As a result, they took down a team that severely outgunned them on paper.

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