The Portland Trail Blazers are flying high after sweeping the Oklahoma City Thunder in back-to-back games at home. Those wins put the Blazers up to 8-3, fifth in the very competitive Western Conference.
The Blazers are searching for their third straight win on Friday against the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Cup. Robert Williams III is doing his part with a thunderous lob dunk, putting Dylan Cardwell on a poster.
After setting the screen for Jrue Holiday, Time Lord rolled hard to the rim and emphatically finished the perfectly executed lob from his teammate.
Williams, who was part of the blockbuster trade that sent Holiday to the Boston Celtics back in 2023, has had an injury-hit time in Portland. He played just 85 games over his first three seasons with the team, 59 of which came last season.
But he's been more present for the Blazers this season, appearing in nine of the team's 11 games prior to their clash with the Kings. He's averaging 7.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game as Donovan Clingan's backup off the Blazers bench.
With Clingan and Williams, the Blazers have one of the more imposing defensive center combinations in the league. When healthy and at his best, Williams is a supremely athletic rim protector who can sky up for some highlight-reel slams from time to time.
If he stays healthy, he figures to play an important role in the Blazers' rotation moving forward. That's a big “if” given his checkered injury history, but for now, the Blazers are glad he is healthy and playing.