Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter addressed his team’s 137-132 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday at Ball Arena.
“We were playing against a high level team, probably one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. They just had the poise to finish a game in the fourth quarter. They were better there. Simple like that,” Splitter said.
Splitter acknowledged the impact of Toumani Camara’s absence late in the game. “Yeah, huge. I mean, just on defense, on offense. He was having like an unbelievable game, making shots, creating for others, rebounding, guarding. So we miss him there,” he explained.
When asked about the message to the team after the defeat, Splitter noted the learning opportunity. “I don’t feel terrible about it but everybody over there feels terrible right now. We felt like we had it. Again, I told them at halftime they’re going to come back. This is a very experienced vet team that has been in this situation 100 times or more. Yes, it’s a learning experience. We got to finish those games. We just got schooled by one of, if not the best team in the NBA right now,” he said.
Splitter also praised Matisse Thybulle’s performance. “Unbelievable. Matisse has been awesome, playing more minutes for us. A little bit out of the minutes restriction, making shots, deflections, steals, guarding their best players. He was with Murray, with everybody there. So it was awesome to see him there in his belly,” Splitter added.
The loss ended Portland’s three-game winning streak and dropped them to ninth in the Western Conference with a 40-39 record, a half-game behind the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver improved to 51-28, moving into third place in the West, behind a 35-point, 13-rebound, 13-assist triple-double from Nikola Jokic and seven overtime points from Jamal Murray.
Portland led by 16 in the fourth quarter, boosted by 30 points from Camara and 26 from Deni Avdija, who went 13 of 14 from the free-throw line. The Nuggets responded with a 21-5 run, Aaron Gordon’s corner 3-pointer tying the game and forcing overtime. Denver’s continued rally in the extra period sealed the victory.
Splitter emphasized the importance of these matchups for Portland’s development. “Clippers, San Antonio, SAC and then the play-in. We got to finish those games. This is where you learn from,” he said.
Portland will visit San Antonio on Wednesday, while Denver hosts Memphis.
