If you’re looking for a random statistic to mark a successful season for an NBA team, the 50 win threshold is about as good as any. Usually only five or six teams win this many games and those that do are considered the elite contenders. On Wednesday the Trailblazers secured their 50th win against a ragged Memphis Grizzlies squad, a milestone that would have been celebrated more if they hadn’t so recently lost a key player to severe injury, throwing their contender status into doubt. Evan Turner notched his second triple-double in a row, a rare feat only accomplished by one other Trailblazer, the legendary Clyde Drexler. The final score was 116-89.
Before we delve into the specifics of this fairly ho-hum game, let’s look at a sweet moment which took place before the action even started. Newly relocated, and newly starting, Blazer center Enes Kanter appeared genuinely touched and surprised that his team made the effort to introduce him in his native Turkish language:
What an amazing surprise!
Thatโs why I call this home.
Thanks for the support and respect.
Means a lot. ๐น๐ท โฅ๏ธ ๐บ๐ธ @trailblazers #RipCityTรผm Portland eyaleti ve taraftarฤฑna teลekkรผr ederim. @NBA de ilk defa bir oyuncu Tรผrkรงe bir tanฤฑtฤฑm ile sunuldu.
Durmak yok Hizmete devam. pic.twitter.com/tJsgCupVdv
โ Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) April 4, 2019
The Grizzlies are essentially a zombie team at this point in the season. Eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, their key players have either been traded away for future draft picks or are resting to avoid injury. So the group on the floor on Wednesday night consisted mainly of hungry upstarts from the “G” League and middling veterans like Chandler Parsons. This squad performed surprisingly well for the first 20 minutes of the game, building a lead as large as 10 points against the Blazer second unit, who seemed disorganized and a little sluggish at the start. Toward the end of the second quarter the starters came back and Enes Kanter began pouring in easy buckets. The first half ended in a flurry with Lillard hitting a nifty buzzer beater to put the Blazers up by 3:
๐จD ๐จA ๐จM ๐จE ๐จ pic.twitter.com/0GG66FokVO
โ Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 4, 2019
Fans at halftime were cheerful, sensing that hallmark 50th win well within reach. Here’s a look at some of the folks roaming the hallways during the break:
This guy brought the style:
This gal was out to remind everyone that the Girizzlies used to be our Pacific Northwest neighbors until they were swiped away by the South:
These two just seemed happy to be at the game:
Fans were also given the chance to sign a set of giant get-well cards to be presented to healing center Jusuf Nurkic. The city has really been showing love for this guy, and a crowd-funded billboard to express appreciation will also be going up soon.
Join us tonight at entry A11 outside of section 108-109 to sign this Bosnian Beast size card for Nurkic! โ๏ธโค๏ธ๐ค#RipCity pic.twitter.com/sRfqgynqgF
โ Jamie Hudson (@JamieHudsonNBCS) April 4, 2019
Interestingly, this 50th win gave Nurkic a nice cash gift as well. His contract stipulates that if he played in at least 70 games (he played 72) and the team wins 50 or more games, he’d receive a $1.25 million bonus. Nothing could erase the sting of that awful leg break, but that tasty bonus probably helps.
The second half saw the Blazers pull away in easy fashion. Kanter was especially dominant, recording his second consecutive double-double, with 21 points and 15 rebounds. He’s clearly doing his best to fill those big Nurkic shoes. Just about the only drama left in the game by the fourth quarter was the question of whether Evan Turner would get enough assists to record his second triple-double in a row. The Blazers bench whooped and cheered as Anfernee Simons hit a three-pointer off a Turner pass to seal the deal. With 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists on the night, Turner became the first NBA player in history to get consecutive triple-doubles coming off the bench. Well done, ET!
With only four games remaining in the season the Blazers are now locked in a very tight race for home court playoff seeding. They currently sit in fourth place, but things change nightly and likely won’t be settled until the final night of the season. The Blazers play a big one against second-place Denver on Friday, and then return home to face them again on Sunday. Blazers fans are wise to be cautious in their optimism right now, but it will be interesting the see just how far this team can go with role players like Kanter, Zach Collins, and Jake Layman stepping into bigger roles and meeting the challenge head on.