After Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups questioned his team’s pride following a 45-point loss to the depleted Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the players answered the bell against the title-contending Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

The Blazers played their hearts out at home against an opponent that beat them by 25 points less than a week ago. Or as Portland forward Deni Avdija put it after the game, they “showed character.” They also shot the hell out of the ball, going 18-32 on 3s.

The combination resulted in a resounding 122-108 win and a blistering 1-0 record in the Emirates NBA Cup.

“How you play, how hard you play and how together you play is kind of who we are and … what we’re building here,” Billups told reporters after the win. “Tonight we did that at a high level and added shotmaking. Any time you can get that 3-ball going, it’s going to be a great game.

The game ball goes to backup center Robert Williams III, who put in a masterful performance in his third game back after missing nearly a year due to injuries. Williams put his stamp on the win with 19 points on 9-10 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks.

“His rebounding, his blocked shots, his voice — he just has such an impact,” Billups said. “You get a chance to play him for 25 minutes and see what he does against one of the best teams in basketball.”

“His motor, defensively and offensively, was great,” added Avdija, who had a strong all-around game with 17 points and five assists. “I’m very happy to see him healthy and performing like this.”

While Williams had the best game, his teammates made significant contributions, with seven players reaching double figures. “Everyone played great,” Billups said, a far cry from the “they all sucked” line he dropped 48 hours earlier. So much of Tuesday was the opposite of that embarrassing loss in Memphis.

On Sunday, the Blazers shot an abysmal 4-42 on 3s. Tuesday’s 18-32 (56.3%) performance from 3 marked the highest three-point percentage in a single game in the NBA this season. In Portland’s three games before Tuesday, the Blazers combined to make 19 3s. Dalano Banton hit a closely contested 3 at the first quarter buzzer. Avdija found his stroke (3-6 on 3s) and buried a deep 3 at the third quarter buzzer. On one play in the third quarter, Minnesota center Rudy Gobert blocked Scoot Henderson’s layup straight to Toumani Camara in the corner. Camara picked it up and made it, one of his four three-point shots. It was one of those deep nights.

On Sunday, the Moda Center crowd booed their team several times and many headed for the exits after the third quarter. On Tuesday, the home crowd roared as Williams threw “oops” in the alley and the Blazers chased down second-chance opportunities and put in extra effort on defense. Some fans left a little early on Tuesday, but this time it was because the Blazers had closed out the Timberwolves with a few minutes left on the clock.

“This is more like it!” a Blazers fan exclaimed as he walked out of the gate through press row with just over a minute to go.

Given all the changes, maybe that team meeting at practice on Monday worked after all?

Less than 24 hours after the Grizzlies loss, the team held a meeting between players and coaches at the practice facility Monday morning. Williams called it an “accountability conversation” in which they tried to solve their problems by being honest with constructive criticism. Avdija thought it made a difference.

“Even if you lose, there is a way to lose,” Avdija said. “… So we had a good chat yesterday, and we arrived today refreshed, I’m looking forward to a different atmosphere, and that got us going a little bit. We shared the ball, we moved it. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone play today.”

It’s been an extreme 48 hours for the Blazers. After Sunday’s loss made it seem like the sky was falling, Tuesday’s emphatic win acts as a temporary stabilizer. There will certainly be more lows and many more losses this season, especially once the Blazers’ three-point shooting returns to normal. The challenge for the Blazers will be to keep the level of competition high and avoid steep declines.

“Honestly, we’re in a situation right now where we feel like our backs are against the wall,” Williams said. “This is one victory. Obviously we’re grateful for it, we’re grateful for it, but we’re trying to build on what you all saw tonight: defense, playing fast and playing together is the most important thing. So we try to uphold those principles.”

More game notes

Anfernee Simons left Tuesday’s game in the first quarter with a chest problem, the team announced on social media during the game. During the post-game press conference, Billups provided this update on Ant:

“He had a bit of shortness of breath, out of the blue, and we obviously wanted to be extra careful. So we took him out. We ran some tests on him. It was back to normal, but more tests are needed tomorrow. We were all happy to see him smiling in the locker room, so that felt good.”

• Donovan Clingan made his first start of the NBA regular season. The rookie center recorded four points on 2-5 shooting, six rebounds (three offensive), one block, one steal and five fouls in 21 minutes.