Little Looks To Take Advantage Of Late-Season Minutes

PORTLAND -- The Trail Blazers are going to be at a disadvantage versus nearly every team they face from now through the end of the regular season as long as Damian Lillard (right calf), Jerami Grant (left quad), Jusuf Nurkic (right knee) and Anfernee Simons (right foot) are all sidelined.

But the players who are available are still trying their hardest, and it was almost enough to come away with victory Sunday afternoon versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Portland led by as many as 12 in the first half and had they not turned the ball over 19 times for 29 Oklahoma City points, they likely would have avoided the season-series sweep, which the Thunder completed by coming away with the 118-112 victory in front of a crowd of 18,626 at Moda Center.

“I thought we played very well,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “Defensively and offensively, we were in tune, we did a good job. I thought we made Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) really work for his 31 (points) tonight. He got on the line, that’s just what he does, he’s really crafty and he does that, but for the most part, we did a good job on him, loading up. They had other guys that played well -- I don’t think we showed Isaiah Joe enough respect, we talked about him a ton, he found a way to break loose. But overall, I thought offensively we played pretty fast.”

And at this point, showing growth is likely more important for Portland that simply winning, as the chances of making the play-in tournament, while still technically possible, are increasingly unlikely with two weeks to play in the regular season.

So in that regard, the Trail Blazers did make progress Sunday afternoon, as Shaedon Sharpe once again posted a career-high with 29 points on 9-of-13 shooting while doing an admirable job defending Gilgeous-Alexander. Keon Johnson was also able to show much of what he’s been working on behind the scenes this season, going for 14 points and five assists in 21 minutes off the bench.

But perhaps no Blazer showed more promise in Sunday afternoon’s contest than Nassir Little. The 6-5 forward, who has appeared in 50 games this season, posted a season-high 28 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field, 3-of-6 shooting from three and 3-of-3 shooting from the line to go with six rebounds in 31 minutes.

“Coach did a great job of drawing stuff to have me coming off pindowns, it allowed me to be aggressive,” said Little, who is averaging 6.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game this season. “I was able to see lanes, see how I could get my shot so props to him for getting me in position to get the ball and get open. I was kind of taking advantage of what they were giving me.”

Little started the second half after coming off the bench in the first due to Trendon Watford missing the final 24 minute due to a sprained right ankle. And he responded by leading an 11-0 run that turned a six-point deficit into a three-point lead.

“Nas has done a really good job of just kind of sticking with whatever he’s getting out there,” said Billups. “There’s been so many times where he’s not played a lot based on however I’m making the rotations and he’s always stayed consistent with his work and the things he’s trying to do to prepare. And then you see him come in on a night like tonight and get up a lot of shots and make a whole lot of them.”

Little would go on to score 13 points in the third quarter on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from the line. So the third quarter ended up being the kind opportunity for Little that he would rarely get were the entire roster suited up.

“I’m not really trying to show anything in particular, just really when guys get down you’ve got just more opportunities,” said Little. “So like, whatever situation Coach got me in, I’m just trying to take advantage of it. Just got to be aggressive, my mindset has to change a little bit, they’re going to need me to score a little bit more. So just kind of doing that but it’s something I’m capable of doing so it’s not really like I feel like I’m trying to showcase something that they don’t know I can do.”

Little, who signed a four-year contract extension prior to the start of the regular season, probably hasn’t had the season that he would have hoped. But as long as there’s some season left, Little will continue to put in the work and build for future seasons, which is a win for the Trail Blazers regardless of the result.

“I love playing basketball. That’s what I love to do, that’s what I’ve been doing for the majority of my life,” said Little. “So any time I have an opportunity to get to do that at the highest level, I love that, I’m ecstatic about it. I wish it could be under a different circumstance but at the end of the day we have a job to do and I’m prepared to do that.”