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The Portland Trail Blazers dominated Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, winning 115-95 and tying up the series at two. However, it wasn't Damian Lillard who led the charge offensively. He was cold, dropping just 10 points. It was the mid-season acquisition, Norman Powell.
The former Raptor had a breakout performance after starting off the playoffs slow, collecting a team-high 29 points in 34 minutes. He also shot a perfect 4 for 4 from downtown. It's hard to imagine the Blazers blowing out a solid Nuggets team without Dame showing out for at least 30. But, this game was a prime example of why Powell is such a vital piece of this team.
The series opener saw Lillard erupt for 34 points and 13 assists. Yes, they won and Powell only had 10. But, when the former UCLA standout is playing at the level that he's capable of, it's taking all the offensive burden off Lillard's shoulders and truly giving Terry Stotts a three-headed monster offensively.
But, Powell doesn't just bring scoring to the Blazers. He's arguably one of their best defenders, which is typically a clear weakness for Portland. Being able to play two positions also gives Stotts the versatility to move Powell around without having to worry about the production he brings.
Experience-wise, the 28-year-old has been on the big stage on numerous occasions. After all, he was a regular in the Toronto rotation when they won an NBA title in 2019. While his playoff averages of just 13.4 points last season don't jump off the page, Powell has taken massive strides in his game over the course of the last year.
He's putting up a career-high 18.6 points and 41% clip from three-point range this season. He's been an important part of the Blazers offense since his arrival as well. Powell has even been nicknamed “Playoff Powell” because of the big moments he's stepped up in during his time in Toronto, from jumping into the starting lineup in 2017 against Milwaukee mid-series to hitting several clutch threes in the East semifinals vs. Boston last year in the bubble.
Don't get me wrong. Lillard is the superstar of the franchise and CJ McCollum complements him perfectly. But they need that third player who can score at will when one of them isn't feeling it. Dame is always, always productive, but it's honestly such a positive for the Blazers to have another guy like Powell rise to the occasion and lead the team to a convincing victory.
While the Blazers don't really possess the defense to make a run at a title, they can certainly get past the depleted Nuggets in this series and advance in the playoffs.
But, in order to do so, Powell will need to replicate his Game 4 performance. After all, he is made for this moment. This is familiar territory. Acquiring Norman Powell at the deadline was literally the best move the Blazers could've made. Let's just look at the first few games of the series as him getting comfortable. What we saw on Saturday is the real Powell.
