<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1qIUS1_0wANPFY400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1qIUS1_0wANPFY400" width="1210" height="806" ></figure>The Portland Trail Blazers preseason home opener against German club Ratiopharm Ulm Wednesday night at the Moda Center was a battle of contrasting styles.Underdog Ulm played like a No. 14 seed trying to knock off a blue blood in March Madness, launching an avalanche of 3-pointers. The Blazers, the bigger and stronger NBA team, relentlessly attacked the rim with drives and lob attempts. Despite some second-half difficulties, the Blazers’ brawn won out, 111-100.“That was one of our emphasis in this game — just attacking,” Portland head coach Chauncey Billups said after the win. “Attack, attack, attack.” Led by the downhill inertia of Scoot Henderson and Deni Avdija, the Blazers went 39-60 on 2-pointers and 18-25 from the free throw line, compared with Ulm’s numbers of 14-37 on 2s and 12-13 from the stripe. With sharpshooters Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant out of the lineup, Portland needed the power game. The Blazers shot just 5-24 from the 3-point line, a deficiency magnified by Ulm going 20-46 on 3s.“Either we get layups, or it opens up open shots for us, or we get to the free throw line,” said Billups about the plan to attack. “We’ll take them all.”Henderson registered a game-high 23 points, six assists, five rebounds and no turnovers while shooting 10-14 from the field. Ulm’s guards couldn’t do much when Scoot put his head down, as his strength opened up easy angles to score. Henderson produced some of the best highlights of the game: an alley oop lob to Toumani Camara at the end of the first half, another one to rookie Donovan Clingan later, a poster dunk in the face of Ulm guard and potential 2025 lottery pick Ben Saraf on a fast break.After struggling in Portland’s preseason opener last Friday, Henderson looked much more comfortable for the second straight game, albeit against lesser competition.“Scoot controlled the game. I thought he was really good,” Billups said. “No turnovers in the game, that was big for him. That’s always big for any point guard.”Following a quiet Blazers debut on Sunday, Avdija also played bully ball against Ulm. In 23 minutes, the 6-foot-9 forward finished with 18 points, three assists, two steals and a rebound while shooting 6-9 from the field. He drove hard into defenders’ chests on most touches, but still kept his eyes up searching for open teammates. The end result was usually free throws (he went 6-6), a bucket or both; Avdija converted two and-1s against Ulm. My early guess is Portland fans are going to fall in love with the physicality and hustle of Avdija’s game.“Deni’s really good on the move,” Billups said. “We try to get him on the move to his strong hand ... He’s able to score out of it. He’s able to play-make out of it. And he’s always looking for [the lob].”Henderson and Avdija played headliners against Ulm, but players all over the roster followed the initiative to attack. Camara continued to be Portland’s preseason darling. He registered 15 points and 10 rebounds while making a number of impressive finishes. Rayan Rupert continued to show a craft and feel to his game that wasn’t there last season. He scored 11 points and got to the free throw line for five attempts. Dalano Banton euro-stepped his way to 11 points. Kris Murray produced 14.The inside game slowly widened Portland’s lead until it reached as high as 68-48 at the 9:10 mark of the third. That’s when Ulm made things interesting. The German club’s 3-point barrage included nine triples in the third, cutting Portland’s lead to just nine entering the final frame. With nine minutes remaining, the Blazers lead was hanging by a possession at 87-84. Despite the struggles, Billups saw the 3-point onslaught as a great lesson in defensive communication.“It was a great challenge for us because I’m always trying to get us to talk more on defense,” Billups said. “When you don’t talk against teams like that, they have you spinning like a top, and it’s kind of what they did to us.”Even after all those 3s, Ulm never got closer than 87-84. Ayton didn’t play the second half and Avdija didn’t play the fourth quarter, but the younger Blazers still finished the job. Behind 13 fourth-quarter points from Henderson, Portland made enough plays to get the lead back up to double-digits and close the door shut.<h2>More Game Notes</h2>Ulm plays in The Basketball Bundesliga, Germany’s highest level of professional basketball. The team travelled 8,601 kilometers to get to Portland for Wednesday’s matchup. Before tipoff, I spoke with Ulm fan Simon Eigenmueller, 24, who came to the Moda Center all the way from Frankfurt, Germany. Eigenmueller made the trip with his mom and girlfriend. The trio was part of a small, but prideful Ulm cheering section of about a dozen people.“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to an NBA game and also see your favorite team,” Eigenmueller said. “... It’s expensive, but as I said, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Mu4zU_0wANPFY400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Mu4zU_0wANPFY400" width="1920" height="1440" ><ul><li>With Ulm as the opponent, Portland singer Amanda Hoffman-Smith pulled double-duty Wednesday night. She sang the national anthems for Germany and the U.S. before tipoff.</li><li>Rookie center Donovan Clingan had a quiet game and some difficulties finishing around the rim. The 7-foot-2 center registered four points and 11 rebounds while shooting 2-7 from the field.</li><li>Two-way minutes: Returning two-way forward Justin Minaya played 15 minutes, going scoreless on 0-3 shooting; two-way forward Bryce McGowens played just four minutes, but managed to get on the board with two points on a backdoor layup; two-way guard Taze’ Moore didn’t register a stat in three minutes of play.</li><li>Portland guard Devonte’ Graham was marked in the box score as a DNP - Coach’s Decision.</li></ul></div></body>

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Blazers’ Inside Game Overpowers Ulm’s 3-Point Barrage

The Portland Trail Blazers preseason home opener against German club Ratiopharm Ulm Wednesday night at the Moda Center was a battle of contrasting styles. Underdog Ulm played like a No. 14 seed trying to knock off a blue blood in March Madness, launching an avalanche of 3-pointers. The Blazers, the bigger and stronger NBA team, relentlessly attacked the rim with drives and lob attempts. Despite some second-half difficulties, the Blazers’ brawn won out, 111-100.