Recap

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Casey Holdahl

Greetings from North Portland, where we recorded the last regular season/first offseason edition of The Blazers Balcony, which you can listen and subscribe to below...

Both Brooke Olzendam, she of Trail Blazers TV, and I, Casey Holdahl, are still coming down from Portland's 2023-24 season coming to a close, so this one might be a bit more off-topic than usual. But some of what we covered includes...

• The differences between where Brooke lives (SW Portland) and where I live (N Portland)

• The Trail Blazers finishing their 2023-24 season with a 21-61 record

• Live updates of Tuesday's Play-In Tournament games

• Matisse Thybulle's segment in Sacramento

• Working in Portland's locker room, now and then

• Scoot Henderson and finishing the season strong

• The 2023-24 Trail Blazers' locker room vibe

• Brooke's Saturday Night Live analysis and whether I look like Beavis

• The best and worst parts of Portland's 2023-24 seasons 

• Which teams and players we're rooting for in the 2024 NBA Playoffs

You can subscribe to the Blazers Balcony on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Youtube, Stitcher, TuneIn, Deezer, Spotify, I Heart Radio,  Pocket Casts and Pandora. Thanks for listening, talk soon!

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Wrapping It Up On The Blazers Balcony, Episode 121

Greetings from North Portland. With the 2023-24 season coming to a close, it's time to start turning out the exit interviews, in which players take a few questions from the local media before beginning their respective offseasons. And even though the is one more game left, the team got a jumpstart by making three players available after the last home game of the season, a 116-107 loss to the Rockets Friday night.

So first up, we hear from rookie guard Scoot Henderson, whose exit interview you can listen to below...

Topics, other than Scoot's comments, on this edition include...

• The final three games of the Trail Blazers' 2023-24 home schedule

• Toumani Camara winning the Maurice Lucas Award

• Where the Blazers stand in terms of draft lottery odds with one game to play

• Portland's record versus the spread in the last 10 days of the season

• Scoot Henderson's comments during his exit interview Friday night

You can subscribe to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM. More exit interviews on Monday!

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Scoot's Exit Interview On The Brief Case, Episode 89

BOSTON -- The Trail Blazers started their season by playing a game on the road. Over five months later, they have just one such contest remaining.

The Portland Trail Blazers finished up a seven-game, 15-day road trip with a 124-107 loss to the Boston Celtics in front of a sellout crowd of 19,156 Sunday night at TD Garden.

“I thought we did good. We played hard as hell,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “We crushed them on the glass, we did a really good job. Offensive rebounds, getting 22, that’s incredible. But we didn’t convert well enough, I thought what really hurt us was just our rim decisions… I thought too many times we shot really poor shots at the rim, we settled for long floaters, long twos. We didn’t do well there.”

The Trail Blazers are now 21-57 overall and 10-30 on the road this season. With the loss, Portland ends the seven-game trip, their second of the season, with a 2-5 record.

“I thought we had a really good trip, I really did,” said Billups. “We was shorthanded a lot of nights, playing eight guys against some really good teams. Had our opportunities right there in Orlando, but they get away and beat us. We win two in a row and then we come here and play a really good game, so I thought it was a good trip for us, I really do. I’m proud of the guys, I think our youngins grew up a little bit on this trip.”

Dalano Banton led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-23 shooting, nine assists, three rebounds and a steal in 36 minutes in his first game back in Boston since being acquired by the Trail Blazers at the 2024 trade deadline.

“I had a great time here, I learned a lot, got to build a lot of relationships,” said Banton. “Met a lot of great people and I’m going to have a lot of long lasting relationships from here, so I appreciate that.”

Deandre Ayton posted another double-double with 22 points on 11-of-23 shooting, 14 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 35 minutes. Jabari Walker also finished with a double-double with 14 points and 18 rebounds in 34 minutes.

Scoot Henderson added 15 points, eight assists, two steals and a rebound in 36 minutes. Kris Murray added 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 25 minutes.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points. Payton Pritchard posted 20 points and eight assists off the bench,.

The Trail Blazers now have three home games this week, starting with a Tuesday night contest versus the Pelicans, before finishing up the season versus the Kings in Sacramento on April 14. Tipoff for Tuesday’s game, which begins a week of Fan Appreciation events, is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Last Long Trip Ends With A Loss In Boston

Greetings from Washington, DC. Before shipping off to Boston to finish off this 15-day, seven-game trip, had to fire up the mobile studio in the shadow of the White House to record yet another edition of The Brief Case podcast, which you can listen and subscribe to below...

Topics on this, the 88th edition, include...

• Games versus the&nbsp; Magic, Hornets and Wizards as the Trail Blazers start to wrap up their last long road trip of the season

• Chauncey Billups being names to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

• The end of the Rip City Remix's inaugural season and whether it qualifies as a success&nbsp;

• The bottom of the NBA standings and whether there is much movement to be made in terms of getting the best possible lottery odds

• Portland&nbsp; covering in their last three games of the trip after failing to do so in the first three games of the trip

• An interview with Deandre Ayton about Friday's win in DC, his recent performances, building confidence and chemistry with Scoot Henderson, staying motivated on a long trip when the playoffs are already out of reach, his first season with the Trail Blazers and why he goes out of his way to praise his teammates

You can subscribe to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM. 

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Deandre Ayton Dominating On The Brief Case, Episode 88

CHARLOTTE -- Jabari Walker made two free throws with just over a second to play to send their March 2 game versus the Grizzlies in Memphis to overtime, where they would go on to win by seven. A month later, Walker would once again step up to line in a very similar situation, and with the same result.

The second-year forward out of Colorado stepped to the free throw line with 1.1 seconds to play and knocked down a pair in the final points of what would be an 89-86 victory versus the Hornets in front of an announced crowd of 14,209 Wednesday night in Charlotte.

“I love it. I don’t know, I think I’m starting to get used to the pressure,” said Walker. “I remember the free throws in Memphis were my biggest ones and tonight was another moment so I kinda wanted that. It gives you extra energy to get the rebound knowing you’ve got free throws, you’re gonna get fouled. I enjoy the big moment.”

The Trail Blazers are now 20-56 overall and 9-29 on the road this season. The win ends a 10-game losing streak and splits the season series versus the Hornets 1-1.

“You could definitely hear it, the guys start to talk about it like, ‘Dang, when was the last time we got a win?’” said Walker. “We’re doing all these practices, we’re working really hard but for it to end in a win, it makes you happy, especially with the work we’ve been putting in on the road, practices, all that.”

Thursday’s game, which featured nine lead changes and seven ties, came down to the waining moments, much like Monday’s one-point loss to the Magic in Orlando. Both teams failing to shoot better than 41 percent from the field made for a lot of rebound opportunities, and the Blazers took full advantage, with Walker and Deandre Ayton combined to log more rebounds (38) than the entire Charlotte roster (36).

So when Brandon Miller missed what would have been a go-ahead jumper with 3.1 seconds to play, Walker did what he had done all night: secured the rebound and pushed the ball up the floor before being fouled with just over a second to play in regulation. Two free throws wouldn’t ice the game, but it would all but ensure at least overtime, if not a win in regulation.

Walker, after seeing Scoot Henderson miss a pair at the line the possession prior, calmly stepped up to the line and made both attempts to put Portland’s advantage to three. From there, all they would have to do is avoid giving up a three -- they got a bit lucky with Davis Bertans getting a good look as the buzzer sounded that would miss the mark -- to get their first win in over two weeks and their first road win in just over a month.

“Bari was incredible, he was incredible,” said Chauncey Billups. “We depend on him for his defense, he’s doing a really good job of guarding, I thought he had some incredible, one-on-one defensive stops against Brandon Miller. And then just his rebounds, he has a knack for that ball but rebounding most of the time is about toughness. You got to get in there and you’ve got to go probably four times the amount of times you actually come up with the ball. It’s a lot of empty trips when you go in there, but he’s so competitive and he’s so tough. We needed every single one of them.”

Walker finished the game with 14 points and a career-high 22 rebounds to go with two assists and a block in 41 minutes.

“It felt great,” said Walker. “That’s the result of effort, playing for your teammates, sacrificing your body for the greater good of the team.”

Ayton posted a game-high 24 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field to go with 16 rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes. Scoot Henderson had one of his better offensive games of his rookie season, posting 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from three and 10 assists in 37 minutes.

“I thought (Henderson) just played a pretty good floor game, for the most part,” said Billups. “Defensively, he was physical, he did what he had to do. He didn’t get in foul trouble, which takes anybody off of their rhythm, naturally. I was very happy for him.”

Henderson now has four games of at least 20 points and 10 assists this season, no other rookie has even one such game. Dalano Banton rounded out Portland’s double-digit scores with 12 points in 33 minutes.

Rookie Brandon Miller, selected with the second overall pick, led the Hornets with 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting.

Next up, the Trail Blazers head to the nation’s capital for the sixth game of a seven-game trip versus the Wizards Friday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

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Blazers, Behind Walker And Ayton, Rebound To End Losing Streak Versus Hornets

ORLANDO -- Even though it wasn’t the play they drew up, the Portland Trail Blazers had a great look at what would have been a game-winning shot in the waining moments of Monday night’s game versus the Magic in Orlando.

“It was not a good possession. Scoot (Henderson) went to the basket, I thought maybe there was some contact there, maybe he got fouled, but it is what it is,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “You’re playing against one of the best defenses in the league, there’s going to be some physicality. We’ve got to know that going into that area, but at the end of the day, we get (Ayton) a pretty much wide open 15-foot shot, which is his money. I couldn’t have drawn up a play any better than that to get a guy like that a good shot.”

Unfortunately, that good shot just wouldn’t go down.

After rallying from down 15, the Trail Blazers had a chance to get their first win of an extended road trip at Kia Center, but Deandre Ayton’s attempt rimmed out as time expired in what would end up being a 104-103 loss to the Magic in front of a sellout crowd of 19,004.

“That’s usually a layup,” said Ayton of the final attempt of the game. “That’s my second, third time in a situation like that. It felt good, I was happy there was an opportunity. Scoot did his thing, draw everybody in the paint. You get away with murder in times like that, shot clock off. He tried his best, got the ball to me, didn’t fall but having a game like that… there’s a lot of great stuff we can take away from that game.”

The Trail Blazers are now 19-56 overall and 8-29 on the road with seven games left to play in the 2023-24 season. Portland, which sits at 14th in the Western Conference standings, has now lost 10-straight and 13 of their last 15.

After enduring an embarrassing 60-point loss Friday in Miami, the Trail Blazers put forth a much improved effort versus the other Florida team Monday night. Though they would trail by 15 with a little more than three minutes to play in the third quarter, Portland would go on 23-7 run to take an 89-87 lead with 5:42 to play.

Orlando pushed the lead back to nine, but back-to-back threes from Jabari Walker and Dalano Banton would ensure a close ending. Jalen Suggs made two free throws, then Ayton answered with a layup off a Banton assist, followed by Paulo Banchero missing a three and the Blazers corralling the rebound down one with 15.9 seconds to play.

The Blazers weren’t able to advance the ball after calling timeout, so Henderson dribbled the ball up the length of the floor, driving to the middle of the paint. The rookie point guard looked as though he might be on the verge of turning the ball over, or at least getting called for a three-second violation before he flipped a no-look pass to a wide-open Ayton. The center, one of the best mid-range shooters in the NBA, got a great look at a potential game-winner, but just couldn’t find the bottom of the net.

“We got a good look at the end,” said Henderson. “I don’t know how I got it out, I just seen DA and I threw it behind my back, got a good look. I don’t know much time was left on the clock, I just tried to throw it real quick. That’s about the best look possible, we couldn’t ask for much better. You couldn’t have drawn it up like that.”

Henderson finished the game with 13 points to go with nine assists and eight rebounds in 34 minutes. Ayton went 10-of-18 from the field for 20 points to go with 12 rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes.

Banton led all scorers with 26 points while also filling up the rest of the stat sheet with five rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in 35 minutes. Jabari Walker posted 18 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Rayan Rupert added 11 points, two assists and a rebound.

Franz Wagner led the Magic with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

Next up, after five days in Florida, the Trail Blazers head to Charlotte to face the Hornets Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

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Comeback Comes Up One Point Short in Orlando

HOUSTON -- After debuting their all-rookie starting lineup in Saturday’s loss to Clippers, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups decided to run it back with his first-year five Monday night in Houston.

While such a starting lineup is a rarity in the NBA -- Portland was just the second team since the NBA started collecting starting stats to begin a game with five rookies -- it has its merits, especially for a team prioritizing development.&nbsp;

“I think the only difference is me having to be a little more vocal than usual,” said Scoot Henderson. “But I like that. I think it helps me in learning the plays, learning certain things that I need to focus on during the game. I think it makes me focus in a lot more rather than having Ant (Simons), makes me figure out how to be me strategic in certain ways. I think it’s a great opportunity for me to learn more.”

And with Henderson leading the way, the rookie quintuple got the Trail Blazers off to one of their better starts as of late against the NBA’s hottest team. But it would be a poor end to the third quarter, rather than a good start to the first, that would decide the game, with the Trail Blazers going on to lose 110-92 to the Rockets in front of a crowd of 16,537 Monday night at Toyota Center in Houston. 

Portland is now 16-53 overall and 8-26 on the road this season. The Trail Blazers have now lost seven-straight and eight of their last 10.&nbsp;

Portland jumped out to a 13-4 lead versus a Houston team that entered the game having won eight-straight, and while the Rockets would respond, the visitors still managed to take a 51-47 lead into the intermission.&nbsp;

“We had so many good moments of, we had multiple paint touches on a single possession,” said Billups. “I think at halftime we had like 11 possessions where we had multiple paint touches... But that’s hard hard. It’s hard to do that, it’s hard to maintain that.”

But after starting the second half by going up 64-55, matching their largest lead of the game, on a Henderson, the Rockets would close the third on a 20-2 to take an 80-71 lead into the fourth.

“Game kinda turned, (Houston) picked up their defensive pressure and we didn’t respond very well to it,” said Billups. “(Houston) turned it up when they needed to defensively against a young, inexperienced group and got us sped up a little bit, lost our composure some. So some good, teachable moments for our young guys.”

Portland was never able to get the stops in the fourth quarter to mount a serious challenge and would go down by as many as 20 before the final buzzer sounded.&nbsp;

Dalano Banton led Portland with 28 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the first double-double of his career.&nbsp;

Henderson went 6-of-14 from the field for 15 points, four assists and three rebounds in 24 minutes. Toumani Camara finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 35 minutes. Rayan Rupert went 3-of-4 from three for nine points to go with four rebounds in 23 minutes.

Jalen Green led the Rockets with 27 points on 26 attempts.&nbsp;

Next up, the Trail Blazers head east to face the Atlanta Hawks in the second game of a seven-game trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. &nbsp;

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Rookie Starting Five Comes Out Strong But Can't Hold On In Houston

PORTLAND -- The Portland Trail Blazers finished up a two-game series versus the LA Clippers with a 125-117 loss in front of a crowd of 18,660 Friday night at Moda Center.

The Trail Blazers are now 19-51 overall and 11-26 at home this season. Portland lost the previous game to LA 116-103 Wednesday night.

Portland trailed by as many as 16 points in the first quarter, 22 in the second and 25 in the third before before a fourth-quarter rally cut the final deficit to eight.

“We wanted to play faster today, we wanted to get out ball movement up, our player and body movement up. We did both of those things very well,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “We wanted to not turn it over -- we had three turnovers at the half -- and we come in and they were shooting like 60 percent from two and 58 from three, the shot-making was incredible, but I didn’t think we played poorly at all.

"So I told our guys ‘just keep going, faster, keep moving that ball.’ I thought we did a good job, I really did.”

The Trail Blazers started four rookies Friday night, with Scoot Henderson posting a team-high 24 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field, 3-of-6 shooting from three and 5-of-5 shooting from the line to go with 10 assists, five rebounds and two steals in 35 minutes.

“I just thought it was an awesome, bounce-back game for Scoot,” said Billups. “For him to be aggressive and attacking the entire time.”

Kris Murray posted a career-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 shooting from three and 2-of-3 from the line, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 36 minutes.

“I was really proud of Kris, back-to-back career-highs,” said Billups. “He’s playing his butt off.”

Dalano Banton finished with 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 24 minutes. Jabari Walker went 6-of-9 from the field for 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal in 27 minutes.

Duop Reath, who got the start in place of Deandre Ayton (left elbow tendinitis), added 13 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Toumani Camara posted 11 points and seven rebounds in 31 minutes.

Paul George led all scorers with 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

Next up, the Trail Blazers finish a three-game homestand by hosting the Denver Nuggets in the second night of a back-to-back. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m.

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Rally Falls Short In Second Contest Versus Clippers

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