Out Of The NBA Cup, Another Versus The Thunder, Deni's Case For All-Star And A Conversation With Robert Williams III On The Brief Case, Episode 180

On this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...

• The Trail Blazers having their NBA Cup dreams dashed with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs in West Group C play on Thanksgiving eve

• You can miss three-pointers or miss free throws, but if you're the 2025-26 Trail Blazers, you can't miss both

• Portland using some down time during the holiday weekend to get in their first real practices since the start of the regular season

• The Trail Blazers can't hold on in the fourth quarter versus the Oklahoma City Thunder, though their improved play is cause for optimism

• Deni Avdija playing out of position at point guard on offense and center on defense

• Deni gets his second triple-double of the season, making him one of the few players in do so this season

• Avdija doing something that only Clyde Drexler and Damian Lillard have done in Trail Blazers' franchise history

• International or domestic, at this point, Deni Avdija has to be a Western Conference All-Star

• A conversation with Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III regarding his season so far, how Portland's new style of play fits his style of play, enjoying the grind of rehab, offering council to teammates dealing with injuries, slowing down (but in a good way) and the rarity of playing for a head coach who was also a center