National Basketball Association

Trail Blazers: Al-Farouq Aminu Shines Despite Loss

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Al-Farouq Aminu put on a show from beyond the arc in the Trail Blazers’ 106-97 loss to the Nuggets

The Trail Blazers returned to the Moda Center to face the Nuggets in their fifth game of the preseason. Everything went according to plan for the starting unit, which included an impressive performance from Al-Farouq Aminu. Portland washed away the sour taste from their subpar performance against the Clippers by jumping out to an eight point lead in the first quarter. That early lead was largely fueled by an awesome display of the Trail Blazers’ ability to let it fly from the three point line.

Aminu is beginning to show that he can become a legitimate threat from distance on a nightly basis. He connected on five of his seven attempts from deep against the Nuggets (full box score here), which helped open up the entire court for Terry Stotts’ offense to operate. The majority of Aminu’s shots came from the wing. Finding a consistent shooter from the corner will be crucial for the backcourt’s ability to find space in the lane.

Don’t let the final score fool you, this was one of Portland’s strongest performances in the preseason. If Aminu can continue to show he is a capable shooter – it will help the Trail Blazers become even more dangerous on offense in the coming season.

The Trail Blazers will now travel to Utah to face the Jazz this Wednesday. It will be the second of three contests against their division rival in the month of October, but the Jazz will be without Gordon Hayward this time around.