Northwest Notes: Nori, Blazers, Avdija, Jazz, Thunder

New Trail Blazers head coach Micah Nori may have an affable personality, but he holds his players to a high standard and isn’t afraid to let them know when they aren’t executing the team’s game plan, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic (free link).

Portland has gotten off to a strong 6-1 start, including a 5-0 record on the road. In the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win in Phoenix, with the Blazers up 19 points, forward Sidy Cissoko went under a screen on Miles Bridges even though he was supposed to go over and stick to him. Bridges ended up converting a three, leading to a timeout from an angry Nori.

“That’s Micah, right there,” Cissoko said with a smile after the game. “He mentions that we…