POWER RANKINGS » SLIDING AFTER DROPPING THREE AT HOME IN WEEK 8 →

The home-court magic has stalled for the Trail Blazers, who after winning 10 straight games at home have now dropped their last three home games by a combined 71 points. For a team with just one road win so far this season, protecting home court had been paramount for the Blazers to stay at or around .500 and within the playoff conversation in the West. Injuries have started to factor in, as Damian Lillard has now sat the last four games managing the abdominal injury that has been nagging him throughout the season. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Anfernee Simons, who then suffered an ankle sprain in the team’s lone win this week over the Pistons. Additional injuries to Nassir Little (sprained ankle) and CJ McCollum (bruised ribs) led to the Blazers fielding a Smith Jr., Powell, Snell, Covington, Nurkić starting five in a loss to the Clippers on Monday night.

Despite the loss, the Clippers game had some silver linings for the Blazers in an otherwise rough week, as Jusuf Nurkić and Norman Powell both recorded season-highs in scoring with 31 and 29 points respectively. After expressing his disappointment in the team’s effort in two previous blowout losses, coach Billups applauded the team’s effort in this game saying, “They played really hard… and every team that plays hard, no matter what, you give yourselves a chance.” Norman Powell reiterated this point in his postgame media availability saying, “I loved the way we competed. I loved the way we were playing for each other… that’s how we need to play.” Both Billups and Powell attributed the loss to tired legs and a depleted lineup but felt that the team reached the level of intensity and focus that they want to see on a nightly basis.

After a single-game road trip to take on the Warriors in San Francisco on Wednesday, Portland will be back home with a few days off before another four-game homestand. With only minor injuries looming, this should provide enough time for Portland to get healthy and maybe even squeeze in a practice, something they’ve had little time for with the way the schedule has played out up to this point.

The Blazers showed some consistency this week. Unfortunately, it was on the wrong side of the win/loss column. After bouncing back and forth in the Power Rankings throughout much of the season, the Blazers find themselves sliding to the bottom of third of the rankings this week, coming in as low as No. 23 and as high as No. 21.

Here’s where the Blazers sit in the eighth edition of the weekly power rankings after a win over the Pistons followed by three double-digit home losses:

 

As noted above, teams with a rest advantage were 8-1 over the last four days. The one loss was the game in which the rested Blazers allowed the Celtics (who ranked 23rd offensively after losing in Utah the night before) to score 145 points on 97 possessions, the seventh most efficient performance for any team in the 26 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. The Blazers made big changes to their defense this season and they’re right back at the bottom of the league in points allowed per 100 possessions. Their opponent effective field goal percentage (55.8%) would be the fourth worst mark in NBA history.

The Boston loss was the third game in a stretch where the Blazers are playing 15 of 19 at home. But, with Damian Lillard out (his abdominal tendinopathy will be re-evaluated this week), their 10-1 home record has become 10-3, with a lot of good teams making their way to the Moda Center in the next 12 days. Without Lillard, the Blazers were relying on Anfernee Simons, who sprained his ankle in the first half of their loss to the Spurs on Thursday, leaving Dennis Smith Jr. to start alongside CJ McCollum in the backcourt.

When you’re missing two of your five leading scorers, it would be good to have a solid defense to keep you in games. Alas …

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Raptors at No. 21 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 23.

 

It wasn't the best week for rookie coach Chauncey Billups. Besides seeing general manager Neil Olshey -- the man who hired him -- fired, the Blazers were blown out in three of four games. Damian Lillard has missed three straight games and CJ McCollum bruised some ribs, though he is probable to play on Monday. Portland has lost five of the past six, but even more alarming is that it suffered its past four defeats by 15, 22, 31 and 28 points, respectively.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 20 and ahead of the Raptors at No. 22.

 

We’re not seeing nearly the same volume of opportunities for Larry Nance Jr. on the Portland Trail Blazers as we saw previously in Cleveland, but you’re still seeing a positive impact when he’s in the game. Nance is such a smart player who knows exactly how to fill in gaps on the floor. He finishes extremely well and is great at utilizing his strength and athleticism. He’s a big part of the bench unit with the Blazers being something that galvanizes this team to get back into games. I wouldn’t be shocked if Chauncey Billups threw him into the starting lineup at some point to get more energy on the floor as the Blazers look for some hope.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Timberwolves at No. 21 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 23.

 

A whirlwind week for the Blazers—which saw superstar Damian Lillard exit the lineup to deal with a nagging abdominal injury and general manager Neil Olshey get axed as a result of a workplace culture investigation—ended with first-year coach Chauncey Billups laying into his team after losing 145-117 at home to Boston. “I’ve never seen a team that needs its bench to inspire our starters. That shit is crazy to me,” Billups said as Portland fell to 11-13. “It’s supposed to be the other way around.”

Herring has the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 22 and ahead of the Kings at No. 24.