Terry Stotts wouldn't fight the rant coming from Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy, which claimed his Portland Trail Blazers got away with very physical defense and non-calls during a 100-87 slugfest win on Saturday night.
“It could be the first time in my tenure that one of my teams was accused of being overly physical and holding and grabbing,” said Stotts, according to ESPN's Jovan Buha. “So, yeah, I was pleased with those comments.”
The Blazers kept the Pistons in check during all four quarters, allowing only 25 points or less through each period. Having carved a 15-point lead by halftime, the Blazers only mustered 20 points in the third and fourth quarters, forcing them to clamp down on defense even more, limiting Detroit to a mere 38.8 percent from the field.
With the Toronto Raptors falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, the Blazers have their best win streak of the decade at 13 straight after beating the L.A. Clippers on Sunday as part of a back-to-back set, remaining undefeated after the All-Star break and finding whatever means necessary to keep their streak intact.
Portland has been convincing on defense this season after the addition of Jusuf Nurkic, ranking fifth in points allowed (103 points per game) and adjusted field goal percentage allowed, which weighs the 3-point shot as 1.5 field goals (50.6 percent).
Their major step up as a defensive team has been a huge reason why they seem locked in as the third seed in the West with 12 games left in the regular season.
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