Why Are Sharps Turning Away from the Suns? The Unexpected Rise of the Trail Blazers to Watch This Tuesday

Portland C Donovan Clingan is my kind of big, and backup C Robert Williams can hold down the fort while Clingan is resting. Clingan is a rim-protector who averages the most offensive rebounds per game in the NBA, sets screens, shoots 3-pointers, and doesn’t need plays run for him to stay engaged. Williams is cut from a similar cloth but doesn’t shoot 3s. 

Furthermore, the Trail Blazers have a strength-on-weakness edge on the glass. They lead the NBA in second-chance points per game (PPG), and the Suns rank 27th in defensive rebounding rate and 22nd in second-chance PPG allowed. Rebounding becomes more important in the postseason when there are fewer possessions. 

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