POWER RANKINGS » STAYING NEAR THE MIDDLE IN WEEK 7 →

A quarter of the way through the 2021-22 NBA season and the Trail Blazers are one of 12 teams within one game of .500 that have been increasingly hard to get a read on despite a 20-plus game sample size thus far. Of all the teams on that list, Portland has the best record at home (9-1) and the worst record on the road (1-10), pointing to the one constant in an otherwise inconsistent season -- the discrepancy between home and away games.

Last season, Portland had a better record on the road (22-14) than they did at home (20-16), and while there were many changes this offseason at which we could point fingers, the most glaring difference is the addition of fans in the arenas this season compared to the empty arenas last year. A serious case could be made and has been made by players including Dame, for the importance of some teams to play in front of their home fans. Much of the Western Conference has struggled to find a rhythm on the road at the quarter mark of the season, with only four teams (Warriors, Suns, Jazz, Kings) having an above .500 road record compared to the eight teams that were above .500 on the road to end last season.

Fortunately for Portland, 15 of their next 19 games will take place at Moda Center, where the team is rolling on a nine-game win streak. They will put that win streak on the line against the 4-16 Pistons tonight without the services of Damian Lillard, Norman Powell or Nassir Little, who are all nursing injuries -- something the Blazers have largely been able to avoid up to this point. The Trail Blazers have an opportunity to gain some ground in the muddled Western Conference standings this month provided they can continue their staunch protection of home court.

Despite losing three in a row on the road for the second time this season, Portland’s position in the power rankings hasn’t shifted much from last week, coming in as high as No. 14 and as low as No. 18. There were some silver linings in this week’s road losses including a 28-point, 17-rebound performance from Jusuf Nurkic against the Kings and two back-to-back season highs in scoring for Anfernee Simons of 19 points against the Warriors and 24 points against the Jazz, respectively. This team continues to show bits and pieces of what they could be but has yet to be able to put it together for an extended period of time. They will look to do just that with a four-game homestand in front of them, before heading back to San Francisco to take on the red-hot Warriors for the second time this season.

Here’s where the Blazers sit in the seventh edition of the weekly power rankings after another tough road trip:

 

The Blazers’ home-road discrepancy only got bigger last week. They’ve won nine straight games at the Moda Center, having taken care of business against the Jokic-less Nuggets on Tuesday. That win came with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combining for 57 points on an effective field goal percentage of 84.4%, easily their best combined mark of the season. But they then dropped to 1-9 on the road (the only win was over the Rockets), allowing the Kings and Warriors to score almost 123 points per 100 possessions over the first two games of their trip. Lillard and McCollum combined to shoot 34% over the two games and commit three costly turnovers down the stretch in Sacramento.

The Blazers’ have the league’s third biggest home-road differential on offense, having scored 11.2 more points per 100 possessions at home. And they have the biggest home-road differential on defense, having allowed 11.9 more per 100 on the road. They’ve allowed more than 120 per 100 in seven of their 10 road games, having played only slightly tougher opponents on the road (cumulative winning percentage of .547) than they have at home (.519).

That strength-of-schedule differential will widen this week. The Blazers’ three-game trip ends Monday in Utah. Then they’re home for 15 of their next 19 games, a stretch that takes them into mid-January.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Timberwolves at No. 17 and ahead of the Lakers at No. 19.

 

Portland opened last week with its fourth straight win, a 19-point victory over Denver. But the Blazers lost at Sacramento the next night before losing by 15 to the Warriors on Friday. They'll complete a three-game road swing at Utah on Monday. At 10-10, Chauncey Billups' Blazers continue to struggle to find consistency.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 14 and ahead of the Nuggets at No. 16.

Another one of those great offense/putrid defense teams. The Portland Trail Blazers have been waiting for Damian Lillard to get back to being Damian Lillard, and I think the supporting cast of this team has been encouraging during this time. It just doesn’t feel like much progress has been made for the roster/approach Dame questioned (rightfully so) following last postseason’s ousting. Chauncey Billups hasn’t brought about much change as the coach. The Blazers are locked into what they have as a team. And it will probably be good enough to be anywhere from a dangerous first-round opponent to an afterthought hoping to get through the Play-In Tournament. The Blazers are fine. They exist. But we’re waiting to see if there’s another gear residing in there.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 13 and ahead of the Clippers at No. 15.

 

Thankful for Damian Lillard’s immense patience and grace. To review: The Blazers fired coach Terry Stotts, made a controversial hire in Chauncey Billups, failed to significantly improve the roster and now are investigating GM Neil Olshey over allegations of a hostile work environment. Nearly any other superstar in this era would have made a trade demand by now. But the 31-year-old Lillard keeps professing his love and loyalty to Portland.

Beck has the Trail Blazers behind the Cavaliers at No. 16 and ahead of the 76ers at No. 18.