The Portland Trail Blazers could not take advantage of six days of rest, dropping Game 1 of their best-of-seven second-round series against the Denver Nuggets.

Blazers head coach Terry Stotts said that their “soft turnovers” throughout the game, especially those at the end of the first half, ultimately hurt them in Game 1:

Portland committed four turnovers in the last 90 seconds of the second quarter, which helped give Denver a 58-55 edge heading into the intermission.

Yes, the game was still tight either way. The Blazers could have easily swung the game in the second half. But in the playoffs, every possession matters. In hindsight, those wasted trips at the end of the half proved to be crucial plays that could have helped Portland gain some momentum heading into the second half.

The Blazers committed 18 turnovers throughout the game. Six of the 18 giveaways came from All-Star guard Damian Lillard, while Moe Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu had three apiece.

The Nuggets, who had 12 steals on the night, took advantage of Portland's turnovers and converted them into 23 points off turnovers at the other end.

Apart from their hefty number of giveaways, Portland actually had a solid offensive game on Monday.

Damian Lillard led the team with 39 points on 12-of-21 shooting, while Enes Kanter chipped in 26 points. Reserve swingman Rodney Hood had his best game of the postseason and scored 17 points off the bench.

Surely, the Blazers will make their adjustments into Game 2. But they will have to take better care of the ball if they want to head into Portland with a split.