For years the Portland Trail Blazers lived and died – but mostly lived – on an unmissable specialty: keep the game tight and, when it matters most, put the ball in the hands of their famous closest and walk away. A valiant effort he made, Damian Lillard was unable to put the Blazers above defending Western Conference champion the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. As a result, they fall into a 111-107 overtime thriller.

Lillard, in some ways, was statistically brilliant, registering a performance of 31 points and 10 assists, taking on Chris Paul. He had notable assist in the form of Norman Powell (23 points), who played the role of McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic (17 points, 13 rebounds, five assists). Although, in the end, they ran out of some possessions.

The loss, the Blazers’ ninth in ten games, drops them to 11-17 and tied for the No.10 seed in the Western Conference. Here are some takeaways from the loss.

Lillard watch:

Damian Lillard’s life is interesting. The six-time All-Star spent much of tonight’s game being defended by Mikal Bridges and his 6-foot-6 frame and 7-foot-1 wingspan or, when he has a ‘break’, by Jae Crowder. Everywhere he went, the Suns explained it with size and length, and that contributed to what was a productive but ineffective night.

Two games after his return, Lillard is averaging 27.5 points, 8.0 assists and 6.5 rebounds, but with 33.3% shots from the field, 26.7% depth and 75.0% of charity bands. The remnants of this “Vintage Lady” were there throughout the fourth quarter, which led to an exciting duel between Lillard and Paul.

The essential threatens Lillard’s filming was enough to continually pull the Suns greats, namely Deandre Ayton, out of the paint and open up opportunities for others. He has also shown an ease in squeezing the lane for drive-and-kick opportunities for his teammates. Suns coach Monty Williams spoke of the “emotional stamina” needed to master Lillard’s offensive offense, and he lobbied them. As he continues to find his rhythm, expect these numbers to increase further.

From Trail Blazers to Lead blazers, BBack to Trail Blazers:

There are few moral wins that come with dropping nine of their last 10 games, although at the very least this group of Trail Blazers are starting to tap into a more gritty and competitive squad. Tuesday night’s game against the Suns was no exception. Phoenix took a 14-point lead in the first quarter, watched him slide to four before half-time, then rebuilt a completely new 14 points ahead in the third quarter.

Portland used zone defense and a balanced attacking effort led by Lillard to get back into the game. Unfortunately, when it was time to put the Suns away, they had the hammer, but not the nail, which came tantalizingly close. In a deadlocked game at 96, the Blazers’ 3 of 6 result on the free throw line will sting, as will the missed chances in overtime. The third time in as many games, Portland overcame a double-digit hole in the second half, made it competitive and failed.

End of an era:

The Undertaker’s 21-game streak at WrestleMania; the Celtics’ stretch of eight consecutive NBA championships from 1959 to 1966; and, the Blazers’ undefeated record in their “Moments Mixtape Nights” uniforms… What do all three have in common? It turns out that all great works must one day come to an end.

For a few weeks, it emerged that the Blazers weren’t able to lose in their classic and historic flagship retro jerseys. It could have been a matter of confirmation bias, but before tonight they were a perfect 4-0 – against the Pistons, Bulls, Raptors and 76ers – producing some of their best streaks of the season in the dark and black. red threads. In terms of playing on the pitch, that probably means little. But for a team that has historically been entitled to luck, you would take what you can get. Tonight’s loss ends the streak.

In anticipation of Wednesday:

It should be intriguing (and not in a good way) to see how the Blazers approach this back-to-back game against the Memphis Grizzlies in just a few hours. It’s to their advantage that they won’t have to travel to Memphis, but after the minutes that Portland’s key stars have played tonight, one has to wonder about tired legs.

Lillard recorded 47 of 53 possible minutes tonight, which is just two games after his return. Jusuf Nurkic played 39 minutes, a number that now scores the most in a single game in his career. Norman Powell put on a useful and efficient performance of 39 minutes, acting as the go-to sidekick. Among them, Robert Covington and Anfernee Simons each played 30+. The Grizzlies are coming out of a cool, cool blowout, which should build some pretty big momentum with tomorrow’s quick turnaround.

Following:

If you missed it, here’s a look at Dave Deckard’s instant recap of tonight’s loss.

The score of the box

As noted, this is a quick turnaround for Portland, starting with the second in a straight game against the fiery Memphis Grizzlies.