4/2/2023 0 Comments Duo denver![]() Torrey Craig shifts down from Al-Farouq Aminu to block any pass to Harkless but remains in position to dart back to Aminu. Malik Beasley, a stalwart in these playoffs, slides away from Maurice Harkless under the rim to account for Kanter. Denver has seen this a million times and knows what to do: The Blazers have cleared Lillard's side so that he has an easy passing lane to Kanter, and Kanter a clear view of the floor on the catch. That starts with McCollum jamming Jokic - a pet Portland "screen-the-screener" action designed to shove Jokic behind the play: For Denver, it is Nikola Jokic - perhaps the most unpredictable and broadly skilled screen-setter in the league - taking whatever the defense gives him, and even some things it doesn't realize it is giving.īoth defenses are attacking those pick-and-rolls aggressively, though Denver has its big men - mostly Jokic - scampering further to swarm Lillard and McCollum above the 3-point arc: The series can feel like an endless series of pick-and-rolls and handoffs on one side of the floor - with no other players on that same side.įor Portland, the danger is in its guards jacking open 3-pointers behind those picks. They build their offenses around deadly two-man games and run lots of the same actions. They both take care of the ball and force few turnovers, and this series has been predictably clean. They tied for the league lead in offensive rebounding rate, and they rank first and second in this round. The combined score after four games is Denver by two. They lean slightly offense-first, and the series has leaned that way too.
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