Portland’s defense suffers without Damian Lillard

Portland Trail Blazers preseason finale took a turn for the worse as they get thumped by Denver for 129-96 as Damian Lillard took the night off to rest before the regular season starts. Coach Terry Stotts also stated winning against Nuggets was already a far-fetched dream without Lillard but he did not expect the team to slump with no defense, it serves as a red flag for the team who is so dependent on a single player despite great additions like Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr.

The only improvement on the floor was on the side of aggressiveness and rotation. Their offensive game also saw an improvement from the past but their efforts on the defensive side are still lacking and they are running against the clock now. In the first quarter itself, they surrendered 41 points to Denver while Portland was at 23.