As the saying goes, there is nowhere go but up. That's not necessarily a complimentary statement. It's usually said when something or someone is so low that they can't go down any further.
Needless to say the Portland Trailblazers must've taken that phrase as Monday night's bulletin board material before their matchup with the Toronto Raptors.
There is no other explanation for how lopsided their first half of play unfolded, whether it was fatigue, focus or lack thereof, this was a night where chipping away is completely necessary.
The game began in a shootout with both teams scoring a total of 29 points in the first quarter. The Toronto Raptors continued down that path scoring 26 points in the 2nd quarter, but that's where the Blazers' woes began.
Guard Damian Lillard expressed concern to reporters about the team's shooting woes prior to the game but didn't seem totally pessimistic.
“We had another game where we could have been much better offensively. We didn't shoot the ball well. We weren't nearly as consistent at both ends as we need to be to be the team we want to be. But we played well enough to win the game, and that's what's most important.”
What he didn't see was the dismal 2nd quarter coming unexpectedly. The Blazers went cold, Really cold as they shot 0-for-16 from the field until Evan Turner scored with five seconds left before halftime, and scoring the only other points on free throws. That spelled the beginning of the end for the team as they scored just six points in what seemed like an eternity between buckets.
The Blazers just went 14:09 between field goals. An 0-for-20 stretch. https://t.co/agam6aO7Bl
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) October 31, 2017
Evan Turner saves the Blazers from a field-goal less 2nd Q by rebounding a Damian Lillard layup with 5.4 secs left. They made 1-17 shots.
— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) October 31, 2017
Looking back through the history of the franchise, there has only been one occurrence where the offense seemed non-existent, and it happened in the early 1990's where the Blazers scored seven points in Philadelphia.
Blazers set franchise record for fewest points in a second quarter with 6. Old record was 7 at Philly in 1991
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) October 31, 2017
The Blazers' social media account wasn't even in denial, trolling their own team with a social media halftime meme, perfectly describing how the first half went down.
halftime pic.twitter.com/im0uOFMjwE
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) October 31, 2017
The Blazers would go on to play better in the second half but unfortunately lost the game handily to the Raptors, 99-85.