Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images Ants and KATs are too much for Portland to handle. The Portland Trail Blazers lost big to the current #1 seed in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves, 128-91 at Moda Center on Thursday night. Tonight was Portland’s final game before the much needed NBA All-Star break. The Blazers scored the first two points of the game, then things got ugly for the red and black. The Timberwolves would go on to thrash the Blazers in the first quarter, outscoring them 44-14. Portland’s defense woke up in the second quarter and began forcing turnovers. This brought life back to Moda Center and pulled the Blazers within 15 points at halftime. The joy was short-lived. The Wolves would run away with the game in the second half. If you missed the game, you can find our quarter-by-quarter recap here. After you’ve read that, here are the details that defined the contest. Youth Movement The Blazers relied heavily on three rookies; Scoot Henderson, Toumani Camara, and Doup Reath. The results were mixed, but it’s good to see the coaching staff commit more to a youth movement. The team still needs to play veterans like Jerami Grant and Malcom Brogdon when he returns from injury, but putting more responsibility on the young guys will accelerate their growth and show the front office what they have to work with this upcoming offseason. Looking for Interior Defense? Whenever the first place team plays the fourteenth in the conference, games come with a grain of salt. It can sometimes be a measuring stick where you search for a silver lining. Tonight we need to lean more towards the shiny lining. Sadly that won’t be found in the painted area. The Blazers’ interior defense was non-existent. Perhaps reporters saw it at PDX on its way to Cancun. The Wolves had their way around the basket all game, scoring 66 points in the paint. Quite frankly, it could have been a lot lot more. Layups, dunks, drawing fouls, etc. You name it and the Timberwolves did it. Deandre Ayton finished with 6 fouls, 2 points, and 4 rebounds. The Blazers backup center, Reath, had a game he would like to forget. The only center who played well for the Blazers tonight was Ibou Badji. He entered the game in the fourth quarter and instantly made an impact, blocking and altering shots from Rudy Gobert. The Blazers don’t need to build the Great Wall of China, but they must at least put up a serviceable fence. The NBA is starting to move away from the “small ball” lineup and going back to the big man. If Portland is going to make strides next season, they must improve their interior defense. Time for the Young Point Guard The final game before the All Star break was very telling. Brogdon is still injured so coach Billups and the rest of his staff decided to start Henderson. The rookie point guard has been coming off the bench for the Blazers for the past couple months. During that stretch, he has shown consistent play, validating the Blazers drafting him third overall last summer. Tonight it was time to see him start alongside Anfernee Simons, a potential future backcourt pairing for the Blazers. Scoot did not disappoint. He looked poised from the tip off and played under control. Maybe his new nickname should be “Mini Malcolm?” Scoot’s ability to draw fouls still amazes me at his age. He finished with only 4 recorded assists, but there were at least 4-5 more that could have been recorded if it wasn’t for wide open misses from his teammates. Henderson is being overlooked right now on most rookie rankings, but that mainly has to do with how he started the season and missing time due to injury. It looks like Head Coach Chauncey Billups is going to start Henderson down the final stretch of the season, and it’s time for the young rookie to shine. Toumani’s Best Game? Camara has been one of the brightest spots for the Blazers this season. It feels like a galaxy far far away when he was the no-name added on to the Dame trade from The Suns. He’s has performed exceptional all year, but I am going out on a limb to say this was his best game as a Blazer. Camara finished with 13 points on a perfect 5-5 shooting including 1-1 from three point range. He added 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. We have been saying all year, if he can improve on offense, the Blazers will have a future All Star on their hands. His defense is already at the level of an All-Defensive Team member. Camara can guard positions 1 through 5. He did so tonight. Being able to defend a veteran point guard like Mike Conley, then on the very next possession guard once-in-a-generation offensive weapon Karl-Anthony Towns, is something that only a handful of players can pull off with success. Versatile wing defenders unlock so many combinations for a team. Without that, it’s hard to remain flexible and compete in a 7-game playoff series. Let’s see how Camara continues to develop this season. If he stays on this pace, he will be voted on an all-rookie team. Ant Struggles Anfernee Simons has put the league on notice with his offensive abilities. Step-back threes, drawing fouls, and making the correct passes are just a few tricks in his big bag. He had a bounce pass in transition to the newcomer Dalano Blanton at the 31.1 mark of the second quarter that would make you scream in excitement. It’s been a pleasant surprise to see his passing ability improve this season. But Ant’s imperfections were revealed tonight against the NBA’s #1 ranked defense. Gobert and his 100 foot wingspan are a big reason why the Timberwolves are so good, but they’re also able to deploy intense ball pressure from Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels. Both Minnesota guards took turns defending Simons. They clearly gave him trouble. He was able to create space a few times and convert on his patented step back three, but for the most part they swallowed him up. Simons picked up a rare technical foul at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter after he felt Edwards fouled him. Showing emotion that early in the game, especially for Simons, was an indicator that he wanted to prove he could play against the pressure. Despite that, Simons scored 12 points on 4-15 shooting with 5 turnovers and 5 fouls in 33 minutes of action. He’s earning that 4 year, $100 million dollar contract, but there is still much room to grow. Still Having Fun Losing is never enjoyable. If you play sports, chess, or even predict the weather for a living, you don’t like to lose. The hardest part about watching NBA teams that aren’t in playoff contention during the second half of the season, is honestly looking at body language. Most of them want the year to be over. I don’t get that sense from this Blazers team. Not even close. Henderson will most likely be the starting point guard for the final 28 games and that dude is always intense. Camara is probably still picking up his man full court, and the game has been over for almost two hours now. Jerami Grant is a pro’s pro, and he won’t quit. Jabari Walker wants every rebound and hustles for every loose ball. There is so much to look forward to for this Blazers squad. The offseason will be dictated on how well these final games go for the young players. If body language tells the story, there’ll be a good ending at the end of this tale for Rip City. Up Next Boxscore The Blazers get to rest over the NBA All-Star Break. They resume regular-season play on Friday, February 23rd, welcoming the World Champion Denver Nuggets to the Moda Center at 7:00 PM, Pacific. Source: https://www.blazersedge.com/2024/2/15/2 ... karl-towns