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Two Wins And An OT Loss, Deni’s Triple-Double, Shaedon Changes And A Check In With Donovan On The Brief Case, Episode 140
Greetings from Philadelphia. With the Trail Blazers improving to 4-1 on a seven-game road trip with a win versus the Sixers Monday night, it seemed like a good time to record yet another edition of The Brief Case podcast, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, which you can watch/listen/subscribe to below…
Topics on this edition include…
On this edition of the Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl, recording from the team hotel in Philadelphia, discusses…
• The Trail Blazers blowing out the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday
• Deni Avdija getting the first triple-double of his career in an overtime loss to the Cavaliers
• How even though they lost, the game versus the Cavs might have been one of their best of the season
• A change in Shaedon Sharpe
• The Trail Blazers coming together over the course of a long road trip
• Defeating the 76ers in Philadelphia Monday night to ensure a better than .500 road trip
• A conversation with Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan about how the team is playing on the road trip, being back on the east coast, ticket requests, being the last center standing, conditioning, setting screens and whether it changes depending on which player you’re screening for, displaying more of his passing ability, defending without fouling (jinx), Shaedon’s dunk and fan support on the road.
Consider subscribing to the Brief Case on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Youtube, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, PlayerFM.
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Blazers forward accomplishes career-first in near-upset vs. Cavs
The Portland Trail Blazers almost pulled off a shocking upset against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Cleveland entered the game with the best record in the NBA and in the middle of a nine-game winning streak. Portland, meanwhile, was in 12th place in the Western Conference. Yet, the Blazers pushed the game to overtime before falling by a final score of 133-129, as the Cavs extended their win streak to 10 games.
Despite the defeat, Blazers forward Deni Avdija recorded the first triple-double of his career, per StatMuse. He ultimately finished the game with 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Avdija, 24, is currently in his first season with Portland. He played in Washington with the Wizards from the 2020-21 season through the 2023-24 campaign. However, the Blazers acquired Avdija via a trade during the offseason.
He has played well in Portland, averaging 14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Avdija has also shot 46.2 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from beyond the arc. He could be on the verge of joining Portland’s core for the future as they continue to rebuild the team.
Although the Blazers have enjoyed some promising moments in 2024-25, it has been another down season overall for the team. The 27-34 Blazers may not be in last place in the Western Conference standings, but the 12th position is not ideal to say the least.
Portland is likely a couple of years away from truly contending, but Deni Avdija’s emergence is certainly a reason for hope. With Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson on the roster, the Trail Blazers are developing a quality core of players. At the moment, the team is focused on trying to end the 2024-25 campaign on a high note.
The Blazers’ next contest is scheduled for Monday night against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second of a back-to-back.
This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.
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Josh Giddey had another promising game for the Chicago Bulls on Monday night in the team’s 121-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers in front of 20,697 fans at the United Center. Giddey scored a season-high 29 points for the Bulls, going 11-of-18 shooting and 2-of-5 from behind the three-point arc. He added 10 rebounds and four assists to help the Bulls improve to 27-38 on the season. Chicago is now 4.5 games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament. Josh Giddey suffered an injury Giddey had to leave the contest in the second half due to an injury, or he could have at least tied his career-high scoring, per K.C. Johnson with CHSN. “Josh Giddey is hurt,” Johnson posted on X. “Goes right to locker room. Missed a layup that could’ve tied his career high and landed on Sheppard’s foot. Same ankle he hurt in Olympics and earlier this season. Punched something on way out.” Following the game, Donovan confirmed Giddey sprained his right ankle. The team plans to do more testing to figure out the severity of the issue. Per Johnson, Giddey left the United Center wearing a walking boot on the right ankle. The Chicago Bulls have another injury to deal with Giddey had been playing well recently, recording a triple-double against the Miami Heat on Saturday when he had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Bulls’ 114-109 victory on the road. Chicago has been hit by significant injuries recently. Ayo Dosunmu is out for the season as he recovers from a shoulder injury that needed surgery. Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic are working their way back to getting more time in the rotation. Despite being given every sign to tank, the Bulls keep plowing ahead to greater success. That won’t likely stop, even if Giddey has to miss a chunk of time.
The Carolina Hurricanes had Mikko Rantanen for a short time, and now they’re helping out fans that bought his jersey in that short time with a very generous offer. Mikko Rantanen’s stint in Carolina after being traded from the Colorado Avalanche was very short, and after being moved to the Dallas Stars, the Finnish superstar appears to be very thankful that this very short and uneventful time in his career is over as he moves back to the Western Conference with a long-term deal in place. After making his debut with the Stars on Saturday night with two points, things for the most part appear to be over between the two parties despite some trash talk from several pieces involved in the latest trade. And now, the ‘Canes are trying to help their fans move on. According to a social media post from the Carolina Pro Shop, the Hurricanes organization are going to help fans replace Rantanen’s name on any of their jerseys for free, with the team clearly understanding how their fans would feel after his short stint in Carolina. That offer is reportedly free from now up until Aug. 31, and is a great move from the organization who clearly value their fans. And with a talented young player like Logan Stankoven coming back in the deal, along with players like Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and others, there’s plenty of options for fans out there. Ultimately, everyone in Carolina would have loved this partnership with Rantanen to work out, as he offered a great upgrade on the wing alongside Aho, but with two first-round picks and Stankoven coming back in the deal, they still have Stanley Cup hopes as they sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Las Vegas have lost a ton of players that they had last season, and maybe that’s a good thing as seeing how they only had four wins in 2024. But, Pete Carroll wanted to retain all of the defensive players, and that didn’t come close to happening. They have lost some players that they really relied on last season, like Tre’von Moehrig, Robert Spillane, and Nate Hobbs. And so far, they have replaced a few of the guys they have lost, or aren’t bringing back, with much cheaper options, and players that may very well be better for what the Raiders want to do in 2025. One of those guys is safety Jeremy Chinn, who played under Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders last season. He had a career year, and that’s a defensive system that Pete Carroll will run. Chinn was cheaper and could very well be better than Moehrig. And then there is the only other signing they have made so far, in defensive back Lonnie Johnson — not a big signing, but one that they certainly will be happy with. Raiders sign defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. Johnson isn’t necessarily replacing a starter, but had the Raiders decided to bring back Marcus Epps, who was coming off of an injury, Epps would have been a backup behind Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao. Being a backup means you’re likely going to be a special teams ace, and that’s exactly what Johnson is, and he is cheaper than pretty much anything else they would have to pay. This is a way for the Raiders to provide depth, especially after last season, but also provide a guy who can make an immediate impact on special teams and not have to sit and wait for the safety ahead of him to go down to get in the field. This is a string signing by the Raiders, and a cheap one at that. Johnson, the former Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans safety is a great pickup. Now, we wait for the details of the contract to be released.
Najee Harris agreeing to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers ends his Steelers career and also finalizes a big ongoing debate among Pittsburgh fans. Harris, 27, the Steelers’ first round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, will reportedly receive a deal worth up to $9.25M from the Chargers. And while his Pittsburgh departure is not surprising, it does lend credence to the past arguments from those who were against drafting him in the first place. Leading up to the 2021 draft, it was widely known the Steelers loved Harris and were interested in taking the Alabama star with their first pick. However, some argued that it wasn’t wise to take Harris, or any similar running back for that matter, in the first round. Those against the move claimed taking a running back in the first round is too risky and rarely proves to be a long term investment. Running backs almost never sign a second contract with the same team that drafted them. Either the player eventually wants too much money or he starts showing signs of decline. Running backs just simply don’t have the shelf life or longevity of other positions. But of course, Pittsburgh had its mind made up and took Harris with the 24th overall selection. And even though Harris has surpassed 1,000 yards in every season of his career so far — he has 4,312 in total — he will now be taking his talents all the way across the country to Los Angeles. But while he was productive, Harris only made one Pro Bowl (2021) in four years and averaged 3.9 yards per carry with the Steelers, running for just 83 yards in three playoff games combined as well. Overall, Harris was inconsistent and reaching 1,000 yards isn’t even considered as big of a milestone anymore in a 17-game regular season. And most importantly, Harris didn’t change the life for the Steelers from a winning perspective. In Harris’ defense, the Steelers’ offensive line was also widely inconsistent during his tenure. But no matter who’s to blame, the winning ways Harris enjoyed as a two-time national champion in college at Alabama didn’t translate to the NFL. Saquon Barkley’s historic season en route to an Eagles Super Bowl title is making some re-think how they view the worth of running backs in the NFL. But at the same time, few backs are as dynamic as Barkley and his championship season came after leaving the team that drafted him. The fact now remains that the arguments of the past against drafting Harris clearly had some validity to them.
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