Intriguing Box Scores of the Night: Wednesday 11/6/24

Wednesday 11/6/24:

NBA: 

Jalen Williams - OKC

36 MIN   29 PTS   10 REB   9 AST   3 STL   1 TO   11-20 FG   4-8 3 PT   3-5 FT   4 PF

Nikola Jokic - DEN

39 MIN   23 PTS   20 REB   16 AST   2 STL   2 BLK   9-20 FG   1-3 3 PT   4-6 FT   5 TO   2 PF

Jose Alvarado - NOP

35 MIN   27 PTS   5 AST   3 STL   2 REB   1 TO   4 PF   10-14 FG   7-7 3 PT   0-0 FT

LeBron James - LAL

35 MIN   39 PTS   7 REB   6 AST   1 STL   5 TO   15-24 FG   6-11 3 PT   3-4 FT   2 PF

Jaylen Wells - MEM

(rookie)(starting)

28 MIN   20 PTS   3 REB   1 AST   1 STL   7-10 FG   5-7 3 PT   1-2 FT   1 TO   0 PF

Steph Curry - GSW

34 MIN   27 PTS   9 AST   7 REB   4 STL   1 BLK   3 TO   2 PF   8-17 FG   4-9 3 PT   7-7 FT

Jalen Johnson - ATL

39 MIN   23 PTS   15 REB   7 AST   1 BLK   10-18 FG   3-6 3 PT   0-0 FT   2 TO   1 PF

Karl-Anthony Towns - NYK

38 MIN   34 PTS   16 REB   3 BLK   1 STL   1 AST   11-23 FG   5-9 3 PT   7-7 FT   3 TO   2 PF

Franz Wagner - ORL

39 MIN   28 PTS   8 REB   6 AST   10-23 FG   2-7 3 PT   6-8 FT   3 TO   4 PF

Jarace Walker - IND

(off the bench)
23 MIN   17 PTS   6 REB   2 STL   1 BLK   7-7 FG   3-3 3 PT   0 TO   1 PF

Zaccharie Risacher - ATL

(rookie)

37 MIN   33 PTS   7 REB   3 AST   3 STL   2 BLK   11-18 FG   6-10 3 PT   5-9 FT   0 TO   1 PF

Domantas Sabonis - SAC

34 MIN   17 PTS   13 AST   11 REB   1 STL   6-6 FG   5-5 FT   0 TO   0PF

NCAAM:

Ryan Kalkbrenner - Creighton

36 MIN   49 PTS   11 REB   3 BLK   2 AST   20-22 FG   2-2 3 PT   7-8 FT   1 TO   0 PF

Mackenzie Mgbako - Indiana

28 MIN   31 PTS   9 REB   1 BLK   1 STL   13-17 FG   4-5 3 PT   1-1 FT   2 TO   4 PF

Alex Karaban - UConn

31 MIN   20 PTS   7 AST   7 BLK   6 REB   7-9 FG   5-7 3 PT   1-2 FT   2 TO   0 PF

Dylan Harper - Rutgers

(freshman)

32 MIN   20 PTS   4 AST   3 REB   3 STL   4 TO   0 PF   9-14 FG   1-4 3 PT   1-6 FT

Eric Dixon - Villanova

35 MIN   33 PTS   6 REB   3 STL   2 AST   11-16 FG   5-7 3 PT   6-6 FT   1 TO   2 PF

NCAAW:

Jazmine Spencer - North Florida

(off the bench)

15 MIN   24 PTS   7 STL   5 AST   4 REB   9-13 FG   5-7 3 PT   1-2 FT   0 TO   0 PF

Khadee Hession - Georgetown

(freshman)

30 MIN   11 PTS   10 REB   9 AST   4 STL   3 TO   1 PF   4-9 FG   2-7 3 PT   1-1 FT

Intriguing Box Scores of the Night: Monday 11/4/24

Monday 11/4/24,

NBA:

Victor Wembanyama - SAS
34 MIN   24 PTS   13 REB   9 BLK   3 STL  3 AST   9-22 FG   2-9 3PT   2-3 FT   2 TO   3 PF

Guerschon Yabusele - PHI

(off the bench)

30 MIN   19 PTS   7 REB   6 AST   1  BLK   5 3PM   6-14 FG   5-11 3PT   2-2 FT   2 TO   4 PF

Russell Westbrook - DEN
(starting)

34 MIN   21 PTS   6 AST   6 REB   1 STL   1 BLK   6-10 FG   1-5 3PT   8-10 FT   4 TO   4 PF

Nikola Jokic - DEN

38 MIN   28 PTS   14 REB   13 AST   2 BLK   1 STL   7 TO   10-22 FG   1-5 3PT   7-8 FT

Myles Turner - IND

33 MIN   30 PTS   11 REB   5 3PM   1 BLK   1 STL   10-17 FG   5-6 3PT   5-5 FT   2 TO   2 PF

Luka Doncic - DAL

42 MIN   34 PTS   15 AST   7 REB   2 STL   9-24 FG   4-10 3PT   12-15 FT   2 TO   3 PF

Dalano Banton - POR

(off the bench in the 4th Q)

12 MIN   20 PTS   2 STL   1 AST   1 REB   8-9 FG   2-3 3PT   2-2 FT   1 TO   0 PF

Naz Reid - MIN

(off the bench)

26 MIN   25 PTS   9 REB   2 AST   1 STL   1 BLK   9-13 FG   5-7 3PT   2-2 FT   1 TO   1 PF

Alperen Sengun - HOU

33 MIN   25 PTS   14 REB   5 AST   4 BLK   11-15 FG   0-3 3PT   3-3 FT   4 TO   2 PF

Keyonte George - UTA

39 MIN   33 PTS   9 AST   1 REB   1 STL   1 BLK   2 TO   1 PF   8-18 FG   6-12 3PT   11-13 FT

John Collins - UTA

(off the bench)

31 MIN   28 PTS   13 REB   5 AST   1 BLK   2 TO   3 PF   12-17 FG   2-4 3PT   2-2 FT

Zach Edey - MEM

(rookie)

29 MIN   25 PTS   12 REB   4 BLK   11-12 FG   1-1 3PT   2-4 FT   2 TO   1 PF

Kyshawn George - WAS

(rookie)

38 MIN   20 PTS   6 REB   4 AST   1 STL   1 TO   5 PF   7-19 FG   6-17 3 PT   0-0 FT

Carlton Carrington - WAS

(rookie)

33 MIN   16 PTS   8 REB   7 AST   1 TO   5 PF   7-12 FG   1-3 3PT   1-1 FT

Darius Garland - CLE

35 MIN   39 PTS   8 AST   2 REB   2 TO   1 PF   15-22 FG   7-11 3PT   2-2 FT

NCAAM:

Cooper Flagg - Duke

(freshman)

30 MIN   18 PTS   7 REB   5 AST   3 STL   6-15 FG   0-4 3PT   6-6 FT   2 TO   2 PF

Kon Knueppel - Duke

(freshman)
31 MIN   22 PTS   4 REB   2 AST   1 STL   8-14 FG   3-8 3PT   3-3 FT   1 TO   3 PF

Tre Johnson - Texas

(freshman)

39 MIN   29 PTS   5 REB   4 AST   2 STL   1 BLK   10-20 FG   5-10 3PT   4-5 FT   1 TO   3 PF

RJ Davis - North Carolina

33 MIN   24 PTS   7 AST   7 REB   2 STL   7-19 FG   3-11 3PT   7-7 FT   0 TO   1 PF

Kam Jones - Marquette

26 MIN   32 PTS   3 AST   1 REB   1 STL   0 TO   14-16 FG   4-6 3PT   0-0 FT   2 PF

Derik Queen - Maryland

(freshman)

27 MIN   22 PTS   20 REB   6 OREB   2 BLK   1 STL   2 TO   2 PF   9-16 FG   

Will Richard - Florida

36 MIN   25 PTS   6 REB   2 STL   1 BLK   10-17 FG   2-7 3PT   3-3 FT   1 TO   1 PF

Walter Clayton Jr. - Florida

34 MIN   29 PTS   4 REB   2 AST   1 STL   1 BLK   10-15 FG   2-5 3 PT   7-7 FT   2 TO   4 PF

NCAAW:

Aneesah Morrow - LSU

28 MIN   20 PTS   10 REB   3 AST   1 STL   1 BLK   9-11 FG   0-0 3PT   2-4 FT   2 TO   2 PF

Flau’jae Johnson - LSU

34 MIN   25 PTS   5 REB   2 AST   1 STL   10-15 FG   2-5 3PT   3-3 FT   3 TO   4 PF

Syla Swords - Michigan

(freshman)(against South Carolina)

36 MIN   27 PTS   12 REB   2 AST   1 STL   9-19 FG   2-6 3PT   7-9 FT   1 TO   2 PF

JuJu Watkins - USC

40 MIN   27 PTS   10 REB   4 AST   5 BLK   3 STL   9 TO   3 PF   8-19 FG   1-4 3 PT  10-12 FT

Kiki Iriafen - USC

32 MIN   22 PTS   13 REB   1 STL   4 TO   2 PF   7-15 FG   0-0 3PT   8-11 FT

Lauren Betts - UCLA

36 MIN   18 PTS   13 REB   5 AST   4 BLK   1 STL   6 TO   3 PF   9-12 FG   0-0 3PT   0-1 FT

Makayla Timpson - FSU

23 MIN   17 PTS   22 REB   4 AST   4 STL   3 BLK   1 TO   0 PF   6-10 FG   0-1 3PT   5-5 FT

The 2024 Offseason Report

Tracking & Grading Offseason Moves, Depth Charts, and Outlooks for All 30 Teams

Wembanyama Becomes First Rookie Voted to NBA All-Defensive First Team

The NBA released the voting on Tuesday with Victor getting 86 first-team votes — second to only Rudy Gobert.

After a phenomenal rookie season, capped by a unanimous Rookie of the Year award, Victor Wembanyama has reached rarified air, becoming the first rookie in NBA history to be selected to the Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team. Wembanyama is just the sixth rookie in the 61 years since the accolade’s inception to make any all-defensive team, joining the likes of fellow Spurs, first overall picks, and Rookie of the Year winners Tim Duncan (1998) and David Robinson (1990).

Wembanyama’s career trajectory thus far has mirrored that of the two Hall-of-Famers. His 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game were nearly on par with Robinson’s 3.9 blocks and 1.7 steals in his rookie season and both were higher than Duncan’s 2.7 and 0.7 in his rookie season. With the Spurs going 22-60 this season, Wembanyama did not enjoy the same team success that Duncan and Robinson did during their rookie years – both of which oddly ended in 56-26 regular seasons and getting bounced in the Western Conference Semis for the Spurs.

Had San Antonio’s season been more successful, the runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Victor Wembanyama, likely would’ve garnered more first-place votes for DPOY than the 19 he received. The stats and accolades support the notion that Wembanyama is on pace to share the team success of his Hall of Fame predecessors soon. His historic selection to the All-Defensive First Team highlights his prowess on the defensive end, hints at a promising future for Spurs fans, and solidifies the 20-year-old as one of the NBA’s elite defensive talents.

Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Herb Jones (New Orleans Pelicans), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), and Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves) were the others to round out the All-Defensive First Team. It was the first all-defensive team selection for Herb Jones and the first selection to the first team for Bam Adebayo after five previous second-team selections. For Gobert, it was his seventh first-team selection out of seven, and for Davis, his third first-team selection.

The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic), Alex Caruso (Chicago Bulls), Derrick White (Boston Celtics), and Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves). It’s the first year in recent memory where the all-defensive first team has had no guards, while the second team is primarily guards except for Minnesota’s McDaniels, the sole forward named to the squad.

As always, some notably effective defenders were left off the all-defensive teams, with only ten players able to make it each year. The most surprising snub was fellow rookie Chet Holmgren, who was third this season in blocks per game with 2.3 and fifth in defensive rating with 108.4. His teammate on the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, led the league in steals per game with 2.0 and was second in blocks amongst guards at 0.9 per game. Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while anchoring an underperforming Bucks defense. Even Jokic, not normally known for his defense, finished the season third in defensive rating at 108.0 and averaged 1.4 steals and nearly a block per game.

These players were all equally as statistically deserving as some of the others who made the teams, met the new 65-game threshold for all-defensive teams this year, and Giannis, Chet, and Shai even received a few votes but ultimately fell short of a selection.

POWER RANKINGS » KICKING OFF TOUGH POST-ALL-STAR STRETCH IN WEEK 20 →

The lone other time this year that the Trail Blazers went on a four-game win streak, they went on to lose their next three games. This time, coming out of the All-Star break on a four-game streak, Portland has dropped the last two contests by a combined 69 points. Having shut down Jusuf Nurkić for at least four weeks with plantar fasciitis, Anfernee Simons has been the longest-tenured Blazer on the court and the inexperience of the active roster has proven difficult to overcome against some tough Western Conference opponents in the Warriors and Nuggets this week. 

The Trail Blazers led the Warriors after the first quarter on Thursday and kept it close through one quarter with the Nuggets on Sunday, but the offense sputtered when the starters were off the court as Portland failed to score over 25 points in any quarter excluding the first in each game this week. Portland averaged just 93.5 points per game over the last two contests, 14.2 points worse than the season average.

Much of this week’s struggle can be attributed to the relative inexperience of the active roster with four rookies, two of whom were undrafted, getting substantial playing time, and most of the others having only played a handful of games with each other at most. “We have a lot of guys that are just learning how we play,” said coach Chauncey Billups of this week’s performance. “Can’t be frustrated with that,” he added. Portland has had just about everything in the book thrown at them in terms of players missing games this year, having to field a ton of different lineups out of necessity. Through 61 games, the Trail Blazers have fielded 22 different starting lineups this season.

Portland added Drew Eubanks and Brandon Williams to the roster earlier this week to help add some bodies to an injury-thinned roster. Williams, who played a few games for Portland earlier in the season, has shown some playmaking flashes, scoring 12 points in both games this week and adding seven assists against the Nuggets. Eubanks recorded a double-double against the Nuggets with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Two games into a six-game stretch against teams over .500 and the relative inexperience and unfamiliarity of the roster has reared its head. With nine of the next 10 games on the road, Portland may be in for a rough stretch ahead, especially if they can’t steal one of these next four games against teams over .500. The schedule gets substantially easier to end the year and the new guys will get plenty of opportunity these next four games to gain some valuable experience against some of the league’s top teams.

As it now stands, Portland is 11th in the West with the same record as the 10th-place Pelicans. If the Pelicans’ pick falls between fifth and 14th, it conveys to Portland by way of the CJ McCollum trade. If the Pelicans retain their pick, the Trail Blazers will receive a top-four protected 2025 first-round pick from the Bucks. If that Milwaukee pick lands in the top four, Portland would instead receive two future second-round picks from New Orleans.

The Trail Blazers have the longest active playoff streak in the NBA with eight straight seasons in the playoffs. They haven’t missed the playoffs since 2013. They also haven’t had a top-10 pick since 2013. That pick became CJ McCollum. Portland also missed the playoffs in 2012 and drafted Damian Lillard that same year. These ended up being franchise altering moves, as outlined by Portland’s playoff streak since then. This season feels similarly pivotal, but with the potential for two top-10 picks, more roster flexibility, and one of the NBA’s Top 75 all-time in Damian Lillard, there seems to be even more potential for upward mobility.

With just about a quarter of the season left, there’s still plenty of time for anything to play out, but as it currently sits, Portland is on the outside looking in for the Western Conference playoff picture. Despite not having the best results this week, Portland didn’t drop significantly in the power rankings. Coming in as high as No. 21 and as low as No. 23, here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 20th edition of the weekly power rankings after a small post-All-Star sample size.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, one spot worse than last week...

The Blazers went into the All-Star break in 10th place in the West, having won four straight games for the first time since before Thanksgiving. Over that streak, they were 28 points per 100 possessions better with Jusuf Nurkic on the floor (plus-16.3) than they were with him off the floor (minus-11.7). Nurkic averaged 21.5 points on 59% shooting over the four games, going into the break with just the fifth 30-point game of his career, a 32-point performance against the Grizzlies’ top-10 defense.

Portland came out of the break with Nurkic (plantar fasciitis) shut down for at least the next four weeks and with … [checks notes] … Drew Eubanks starting at center. And the Blazers lost their first two post-break games by a total of 69 points, scoring an anemic 92.6 points per 100 possessions against the Warriors and Nuggets. The two losses dropped them to 11th place in the West, in a tie with the 10th-place Pelicans, but having (somehow) lost their momentum from before the break. Nurkic has had a few tough injuries in his eight seasons in the league, and this may be the most untimely of them all.

The Blazers have four more games on this stretch of six straight against teams with winning records. And they’ll now play nine of their next 10 games on the road.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Wizards at No. 22 and ahead of the Knicks at No. 24.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, one spot worse than last week...

After winning four straight, the days following the All-Star break have not been kind to the Blazers. They lost center Jusuf Nurkic for at least four weeks due to plantar fasciitis, and they have now lost two straight without their big man. Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart will have to carry a serious load to try to keep Portland in the 10th spot in the West

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Pelicans at No. 21 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 23.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, three spots worse than last week...

The Portland Trail Blazers are definitely not where they hoped to be when the season began, but they’ve managed to do something in this disappointing plight of the season. They’ve managed to get fans excited for this final stretch run. The Blazers are still very much in this Play-In Tournament hunt despite missing every starter from the beginning of the season. Some of the hope comes from that. But mostly, that hope is because of the emergence of Anfernee Simons. In the 26 games since Damian Lillard went down with an injury, Simons has played in 25 of those contests and averaged 23.3 points on 45.8/41.2/85.3 shooting splits. It’s the perfect thing to help the Blazers soften the blow of this season and it’s the perfect thing for Simons to do heading into restricted free agency.

Prediction for the final stretch: Simons averages over 25 points per game for the final stretch of the season, but the Blazers just miss out on the 10-spot in the Play-In Tournament.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 22 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 24.

• Kyle Wood at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, two spots worse than last week...

Is the tank back on? It sure looks like it the way the Blazers came out of the break. The same team that beat the Bucks and the Grizzlies on the road two weeks ago was outscored by 69 points on its home court over its last two games. Well, there was one big difference: Center Jusuf Nurkic was shut down for a month, further weakening the core of a team on the verge of ending its seven-season playoff streak.

Wood has the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 20 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 22.

POWER RANKINGS » CONTINUING ASCENT FOLLOWING ALL-STAR BREAK IN WEEK 19 →

Despite notching just one more win since we last checked in, the Portland Trail Blazers have taken a huge leap in this week’s rankings. That win, coming in a close game against the third-in-the-West Grizzlies in Memphis punctuated a four-game win streak for Portland that has come as a pleasant surprise after the Trail Blazers traded their second and third leading scorers ahead of the deadline. The current win streak marks the first time since mid-November and just the second time on the season that the Trail Blazers have won four straight games. 

Portland’s momentum will be challenged coming out of the All-Star break with a six-game stretch against teams currently over .500 kicking off against the Warriors on Thursday. If the Trail Blazers can retain any semblance of their pre-break success through that stretch of games, they will be in a good position to continue that run through the end of the season with 14 of their last 17 games coming against teams currently below .500.

After making splashes at the trade deadline, it was a quiet All-star weekend for Portland with no current players participating in the festivities other than the recognition of Damian Lillard’s 75th Anniversary Team honors. Despite playing just one game this past week, there have been plenty of positives since the deadline to highlight in this week’s power rankings.

Post-Deadline Highlights:

Much in the Clutch: After ranking near the bottom in clutch time net rating for much of the year, the Trail Blazers have scrapped their way to a top-10 clutch net rating (10.2) on the season thanks in most part to an improvement in defensive rating in clutch time. Portland has the sixth-best defensive rating (100.0) in clutch minutes and is playing with the second-highest pace (106.4) in the last five minutes of close games.

Anfernee Simons, Most Improved: Anfernee Simons is averaging 30.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.8 made threes on 51.1% FG and 46.9% 3-PT over Portland’s four-game win streak. He’s made the most threes of anyone in the league over the last four games and is seventh in scoring over that span. Simons has continued to prove that he can run the offense and score at a high clip when given the opportunity. If he can continue to play anywhere near this level for the remainder of the season, Simons has a serious case for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award despite not having a consistent position in the starting lineup until over 30 games into the season.

Nurk’s Work: Jusuf Nurkić recorded a season-high and one point shy of his career-high 32 points in a victory over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Nurkić recorded his 30th double-double of the season against the Bucks in the game before that with 23 points and 16 rebounds. His 30 double-doubles are tied with Jarrett Allen for eighth most in the league and just six shy of a career high for Nurkić (36 double-doubles) set in the 2018-19 season.

Hart Playing With Heart: Josh Hart’s 72 points over his first three games with Portland mark the second-highest three-game scoring stretch of Hart’s career behind only the last three games of his rookie campaign with the Lakers (75 points). Coach Billups and some of Hart’s teammates have praised his court awareness and basketball IQ from day one, saying that he “just knows where to be on the court.”

A Contract For The Rook: Portland is converting undrafted rookie forward Trendon Watford’s two-way deal to a standard NBA contract. Watford, the Alabama High School Athletic Association's all-time career rebounds leader who spent two years at LSU, recorded nine points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and a steal in 23 minutes against the Bucks last week and has been touted as a player who “just does winning things” by coach Chauncey Billups. Portland waived G Dennis Smith Jr., who was set to miss substantial time with an elbow injury, creating an opening on the 15-man roster for Watford.

A win over a top team in the West and some time to think over the All-Star break proved to be enough to solidify Portland’s recent run as more than a fluke to the national media, as the Trail Blazers make a big jump up in this week’s power rankings. These next six games, all coming against opponents over .500, will be pivotal in defining a Portland season that has been uncharacteristically hard to define. If the Trail Blazers can have any success over these next six games, they will have a good chance to finish the season at or above .500, given they can continue to streak through the league’s second-easiest remaining strength of schedule. Coming in as high as No. 18 and as low as No. 22, here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 19th edition of the weekly power rankings, riding the league’s third-longest win streak.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, two spots better than last week...

The Blazers have won four straight games for the first time since before Thanksgiving, and the last two wins (at Milwaukee and Memphis) were much more impressive than the first two (vs. the Lakers and Knicks). Anfernee Simons has averaged 30.3 points on 51% shooting over the winning streak, Jusuf Nurkic scored a season-high 32 points against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, and Josh Hart’s three games with the Blazers (72 total points) have been the second highest-scoring stretch of his career, topped only by the last three games of his rookie season in L.A. (75 total). Justise Winslow, meanwhile, has made more shots from outside the paint in six games with the Blazers (9-for-28) than he did in 37 games with the Clippers (7-for-35).

The Blazers’ post-break schedule is front-loaded, with their next six games against teams that currently have winning records. After that, 14 of their final 17 are against teams currently below .500. And maybe that doesn’t matter much, because with those two wins last week, they have almost as many victories over the good teams (12-21) as they do against the sub-.500 group (13-13).

Three numbers to know…

1. The Blazers have seen the league’s biggest jump in assist percentage (AST/FGM), from 51.5% (30th) last season to 58.7% (21st) this season. They’ve also seen the league’s second biggest jump in ball movement (+39 passes per 24 minutes of possession) and its second biggest jump in player movement (+0.4 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possessions).

2. The Blazers are the only team that ranks in the bottom five in both opponent 2-point percentage (54.7%, 28th) and opponent 3-point percentage (37.2%, 29th).

3. Simons has a usage rate of 23.9%, up from 18.0% last season. That’s the fourth biggest jump (behind only those of Ricky Rubio, Reggie Jackson and Desmond Bane) among 280 players who’ve played at least 500 minutes in each of the last two seasons. Four of his five highest single-game usage rates have come in February.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Wizards at No. 21 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 23.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, three spots better than last week...

Despite trading CJ McCollum and Norman Powell at the deadline, the Blazers enter the break on a four-game winning streak. Anfernee Simons is showing that he can carry the scoring load with Damian Lillard out. Simons has scored 30 points or more in three straight games. Give Chauncey Billups credit for holding things together as the Blazers beat the Lakers, Knicks, Bucks and Grizzlies during their winning streak.

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

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 20 this week, six spots better than last week...

Takeaway: So far, the Portland Trail Blazers are refusing to go away after sending out a bunch of good, veteran players. Anfernee Simons has been tremendous in the absence of Damian Lillard, and Blazers fans are justifiably excited about how good he’s been and maybe he good he can become when they re-sign him to an offer sheet this summer. They’re going to need this team to be better throughout games consistently though, and it’s hard to tell just how much we should expect that to happen with this group. These numbers are tough to parse out simply because of the massive roster changes and Lillard not being on the court. While everything was looking pretty rough, we can at least just focus on the turnaround in clutch games. They’ve won nine of 16 clutch games since we last checked in at Week 9, and they’re now one of the best clutch teams in the league. Hopefully that holds true the rest of the way.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 19 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 21.

• Colin Ward-Henninger at CBS Sports has the Trail Blazers at No. 18 this week, two spots better than last week...

Isn't basketball a funny thing? The Blazers go into full tank mode by trading CJ McCollum and Norman Powell, lose Nassir Little for the season with a shoulder injury, and then somehow rattle off four straight wins, including road victories over the Bucks and Grizzlies to close out the week. Go figure. Anfernee Simons looks ready to take McCollum's place as Portland's No. 2 scoring option when Lillard is healthy, averaging 30.3 points and 6.7 assists this week on scorching 18-for-38 3-point shooting, and Josh Hart has looked great since coming over from New Orleans, putting up 24 points per game on 52 percent 3-point shooting.

Ward-Henninger has the Trail Blazers behind the Nets at No. 17 and ahead of the Lakers at No. 19.

POWER RANKINGS » ON A ROLL HEADING INTO ALL STAR WEEKEND IN WEEK 18 →

Now that the dust has settled in what was the most eventful trade deadline for the Trail Blazers perhaps in franchise history and no more major moves can be made until the offseason, we finally have a clear picture of what this team will look like for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. If the last three games are any indication of something sustainable for Portland, then fans are in for a treat, as the Trail Blazers have not only been incredibly fun to watch, but have reeled off three straight wins over the Lakers, Knicks, and Bucks respectively. This 3-0 run before the All-Star break may not be what some fans eager for a high lottery pick had hoped for, but coach Chauncey Billups has addressed the concerns of fans in this camp saying, “just appreciate what we’re doing… For fans who want to see us lose, I guess just turn the TV off when it gets close.”

Fans who enjoy ball movement, team defense, and effort on both ends: tune in, as these pillars that coach Billups has preached as part of his vision for the culture of this team have really begun to take shape over the last few games. Despite a small sample size, there have been obvious statistical signs that point to increased ball movement and a more stout defense that seem to be a complete turnaround from much of the rest of the year. Over the last three games, Portland ranks fifth in the league in both assists per game (28.3) and made threes per game (14.3) while also having the sixth-best defensive rating (104.0). They’ve come away with 8.7 steals per game and allowed the second-fewest points in the paint (38.0) over their current three-game win streak. Monday’s game against the Bucks marked the first time since 2003 (D. Davis, Z. Randolph, D. Stoudamire, R. Wallace, B. Wells) that all five Portland starters have had four or more assists in a game (A. Simons, J. Hart, C. Elleby, J. Winslow, J. Nurkic).

While this turnaround has coincided with the turnover of the roster and the addition of Justise Winslow and Josh Hart into the starting lineup, coach Billups said after Monday’s game against the Bucks that “It’s not really about the names on the back of the jersey; It’s about the heart, spirit, and effort, and intensity that you put into it,” adding “I’m never surprised when a team plays hard the entire game. I think you give yourself an opportunity every single night… I want to keep setting the standard of how we play.” The stats have been there to support the claim, but even to the eye test, it looks as though coach Billups’ vision of the on-court culture he wants to instill is beginning to take shape more and more. The sheer amount of highlight-reel dunks Greg Brown III has made in the past week should be enough to excite anyone.

Anfernee Simons continues to be a bright spot in Portland as well, emerging as a serious contender for Most Improved Player this season. Simons is averaging 30.0 points and 6.3 assists including 6.0 made threes on 46.2% from beyond the arc through Portland’s last three games. He’s recorded back-to-back games of 30-or-more points and three consecutive 25-or-more-point performances across this three-game win streak, both career firsts for the young guard out of IMG academy. Making his 30th career start against the Bucks on Monday, Simons broke the record for most made threes in a player’s first 30 starts previously held by Devonte Graham (112 3PM). Simons has taken over as Portland’s primary scorer this season, but it was his defense on Jrue Holiday that coach Chauncey Billups applauded in Monday’s game in Milwaukee. “They started attacking him… I wasn’t gonna switch him off of him. This is part of his development... That’s the way you learn,” said coach Billups of Simons guarding on Holiday. Holiday finished with 23 points but committed seven turnovers and Portland came away with a third straight victory.

Portland’s position in the power rankings is more varied this week than it has been in previous weeks depending on the value that different writers attribute to the moves made at the deadline and how they view the relevance of these most recent wins. The Trail Blazers have made a few similar runs at various points in the season that have fizzled out and proven unsustainable, but with one more game against the third-in-the-West Grizzlies on Wednesday before the All-Star break, Portland has a real opportunity to carry this momentum into the next half of the season. The Trail Blazers have traditionally enjoyed post-All-Star success and still sit in the 10th and final play-in spot in the West as they have for much of the season. Coming in as high as No. 19 and as low as No. 26, here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 18th edition of the weekly power rankings.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, one spot better than last week...

The Blazers tore it down even further last week, trading CJ McCollum for a package that included Josh Hart and what could be a pretty good first-round pick. Of course, when a team trades good players, its most valuable pick is its own. But the Blazers’ own pick has lost a little value in the last few days, because they’ve suddenly won two straight games, taking advantage of a couple of struggling teams – the Lakers and Knicks – that didn’t make any trades at the deadline.

The two wins were the second and third times this season that Anfernee Simons has registered a usage rate higher than 30%. And he was both prolific and efficient with that high usage, totaling 59 points on an effective field goal percentage of 59.8% over the two games. Simons could still get more efficient with more trips to the line. His free throw rate of 13.4 attempts per 100 shots from the field ranks just 93rd among 105 players with at least 500 total field goal attempts. (McCollum – 10.3 per 100 – ranks 99th.)

The Blazers traded three starters and haven’t had Damian Lillard for more than six weeks, but they’re still in the final Play-In spot in the West. They still have an easier remaining schedule than the three teams behind them, though it’s tough for the next 3 1/2 weeks (eight straight games against teams that currently have winning records) and much easier after that (14 of their final 17 against teams currently below .500).

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Pelicans at No. 23 and ahead of the Kings at No. 25.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, the same as last week...

The Blazers began retooling the team at the deadline, sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick. Then they sent CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell to New Orleans for Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a first-round pick, two second-round picks, Didi Louzada and Tomas Satoransky. They then moved Alexander-Walker to the Jazz and Satoransky to the Spurs, taking back Elijah Hughes, Joe Ingles and a 2022 second-round pick. What happens with Damian Lillard and how the Blazers build around him if he stays in Portland remains to be seen. Coach Chauncey Billups still has the Blazers in the 10th spot, but it will be difficult to remain there to punch a postseason ticket.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Spurs at No. 23 and ahead of the Kings at No. 25.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 26 this week, two spots worse than last week...

Did they do well at the trade deadline? Yes and no. I did not like how the Portland Trail Blazers gave away a chance to develop Nickeil Alexander-Walker so they could hold Joe Ingles’ expiring contract, get Elijah Hughes and bring in a second-round pick that is unlikely to have as much potential as NAW. We’re going to have to wait and see what the true fallout is of this mass exodus in Portland. Did they get enough in return for Norman Powell, Robert Covington and CJ McCollum? Is that enough to reset the roster to build around Damian Lillard? Or is this the kind of thing that ultimately helps him decide he wants a new team? The Blazers made some of the right moves, but it’s fair to question if they received enough in return.

So now what? The Blazers are our new addition to the Tanks A Lot tier because Dame is still out and we don’t know when he’s coming back. The Blazers embraced the tank at least for now, and it was the right move, even if you don’t think they got a lot back in the process. Or maybe enough back. The rest of the season is about building their young players up. Get the most out of Anfernee Simons. Unfortunately, Keon Johnson is out for a while, and Nassir Little is out for the rest of the season. But every young player needs a lot of chances to compete here.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Kings at No. 25 and ahead of the Thunder at No. 27.

• Elizabeth Swinton at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 19 this week, four spots better than last week...

The Trail Blazers said goodbye to a franchise cornerstone in trading CJ McCollum to the Pelicans. Portland also parted ways with Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell in the deal while gaining Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Didi Louzada, along with picks. That’s in addition to dealing Powell and Covington to the Clippers. The moves seem to help the Blazers build for their future, though they finished the week on a high note with wins against the Lakers and Knicks.

Swinton has the Trail Blazers behind the Nets at No. 18 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 20.

GAME RECAP: TRAIL BLAZERS FALL TO MAGIC FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2017

Portland -- The Trail Blazers had won 10 straight meetings against the Magic dating back to 2017, but that streak has come to an end as Portland fell 113-95 to Orlando in front of a crowd of 16,024 at Moda Center on Tuesday night. Between players out with injury, and dust still settling from trades made in recent days, Portland had just nine players in uniform, opening the opportunity for an increased role for some players in Tuesday’s game.

Justise Winslow made his first start of the season as a Trail Blazer, scoring the team’s first five points on two nothing-but-net jumpers. Winslow finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists to go with two steals and two blocks.

Unfortunately for Portland, the three point lead they took to start the game was the largest it would be all game, as Orlando got off to a hot shooting start connecting on 52.1% of their first-half field goals, including 57.9% from three. In comparison, the Trail Blazers shot just 33.3% from the field in the opening half and were 3 for 18 from three (16.7 %).

Gary Harris’ nine first-quarter points in just four minutes off the bench gave Orlando a four-point lead heading into the second quarter. Four points was the closest Portland would come to taking the lead for the remainder of the game. Though they would cut the Orlando lead to just four in each quarter, Portland ultimately couldn’t get over that four-point hump to retake the lead.

Portland held the edge in paint points in the first half but were outscored 33 to nine from three-point territory resulting in Orlando taking a 15-point lead into halftime. Portland made a 10-2 run in the third to get the game within four points and yet another 10-2 run in the fourth to get within the magic number of four yet again but failed to convert on any go-ahead shots in the remaining minutes. In the end, the three-point shooting disparity reared its head for Portland again, as they shot 28.9% from deep for the game compared to Orlando’s 50%. The Trail Blazers were able to get to the free-throw stripe considerably more than the Magic, converting 20 of their 26 attempts compared to just six of eight for Orlando, but it mattered not as Orlando was able to secure their first victory over Portland in their last 11 attempts.

Cole Anthony was the game’s high scorer with 23 points in 35 minutes of action, while Anfernee Simons was the leading scorer for Portland recording 19 points to go with five assists and five rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic recorded his 27th double-double of the season, a mark that puts him in the top-10 in the league in that category.

Greg Brown III had a huge night recording career-highs in minutes played (19), points (15), rebounds (8), and made threes (2) to go with his signature highlight-reel dunks.

“Greg takes advantage every time. He’s playing with so much energy. Regardless of what’s happening, you can tell he’s gonna give you what he has,” said coach Chauncey Billups of Greg Brown III’s performance following the game.

“It was a blessing to be out there and help my guys… It was a big change for me so I just had to fill in the shoes and go out and do it,” said Brown III of his increased role and the opportunity he had Tuesday and likely moving forward throughout the rest of the season.

Tuesday's game was the first of a back-to-back for the Trail Blazers who will take on the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at Moda Center. The Lakers are also coming in off of a back-to-back having lost to the Bucks. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

POWER RANKINGS » LOOKING DIFFERENT IN WEEK 17 →

The Trail Blazers had a stretch of games this past week in which they held their opponents under 100 points in three consecutive games for the first time since March 2019. With the way Portland had been shooting in January, one would think this sort of defensive feat would translate to wins, but Portland went 0-3 in those games failing to score 100 points themselves in each contest. After their red-hot January from three-point range, the Trail Blazers are now last in the league in three-point percentage to start February at 28.3 % on the month. They are also attempting the third-most threes in the league over that span at 40 per game. Portland has been living and dying by the three, scoring 37.7% of their points from deep this year (fifth most), compared to 38.9 % of their points coming in the paint (second-fewest). After an 0-4 week 17, Portland has fallen to 1-7 across its last eight contests on the heels of a 6-2 stretch in the eight games before that.

Portland now sits just outside the play-in position and half a game behind the Pelicans for 10th in the West. If the season were to end right now, Portland stands to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013. They would also retain their lottery-protected first-round pick, marking the first lottery pick for Portland since 2013. The last two top-10 picks Portland had were CJ McCollum (10th overall in the 2013 draft) and Damian Lillard (sixth overall in the 2012 draft). We all know what those two have meant to this franchise over the last near-decade, fueling Portland to the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons. However, despite the regular-season success Portland has had in that span, they don’t have an NBA championship to show for it and that is the ultimate goal, as Damian Lillard expressed following last year’s first-round exit saying, “we didn't win a championship so obviously where we are now isn't good enough.” With little change to the core for Portland over the last few years, this season has brought in sweeping changes to the coaching staff and front office, but with only marginal changes to the roster prior to this week. With the trade deadline fast approaching, Portland has taken its first step in what looks to be more significant change to the roster than we’ve seen in years.

Ahead of Thursday’s deadline Portland made a move sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a 2025 second-round pick. It remains to be seen if more moves are coming before Thursday, but as it stands this trade opens up minutes for Portland’s young players to continue to develop and get valuable in-game experience while providing increased flexibility from a roster and salary cap standpoint heading into the trade deadline and subsequent offseason.

After playing at least every other day since the start of 2022, Portland will finally have two days off in a row to rest up and get a practice in before a home back-to-back against the Magic and Lakers followed by another two days off that will take us through the trade deadline. After a tumultuous January filled with many miles of travel and few rest days for the Trail Blazers, a home stand with consecutive days off should be a welcome sight. Portland has expectedly taken a hit in the power rankings after going 0-4 this past week, including two losses to the Thunder who are one of just four teams below them in the Western Conference standings. Coming in as high as No. 23 and as low as No. 25, here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 17th edition of the weekly power rankings.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 25 this week, four spots worse than last week...

The Blazers had a promising, 6-2 stretch in the middle of January. But they’ve since lost six of their last seven, a stretch that includes two losses to Oklahoma City and three of the 10 games in which they’ve scored less than a point per possession. They had fourth-quarter leads in two games last week, but scored just 16 points (with four turnovers) on 17 clutch possessions.

And on Friday, the Blazers seemingly punted on the season, trading two starters — Norman Powell (who had 30 points in his final game with Portland) and Robert Covington (who shot 0-for-8 in that game) — to the Clippers. The Blazers were outscored by 6.4 points per 100 possessions (allowing 115.8 per 100) in 852 total minutes with Covington and Powell on the floor together, though that breaks down to plus-3.6 per 100 in 491 minutes with those two alongside Damian Lillard and an amazing minus-20.5 per 100 in 361 minutes with Lillard off the floor.

The Blazers didn’t get a future first-round pick in the deal, but they did get a first-rounder (the No. 21 pick) from last year’s Draft. Keon Johnson (a 6-4 guard who turns 20 in March) hasn’t had much of an opportunity to play with the Clippers and his career-high (15 points) came in garbage time of a blowout loss in December. He seems to have more athleticism than skill at this point, but the Blazers have certainly had some success in regard to developing guards.

Now we see if there are other moves before the deadline. With the Pelicans’ win in Houston on Sunday, the Blazers fell out of the last Play-In spot in the West, though they have an easier remaining schedule (cumulative opponent winning percentage of .465) than the other three teams in the mix.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 24 and ahead of the Kings at No. 26.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, two spots worse than last week...

You could make the argument that the deal Portland just made by sending Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick is the most impactful deal the Blazers have made in five seasons. After eight straight playoff appearances, the Blazers now are a team in transition, looking more like a team ready to rebuild. Shedding Powell's salary is likely the first of more moves designed to not only cut payroll but give the team flexibility and assets for the future. Interim general manager Joe Cronin's phone will be busy this week.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Spurs at No. 23 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 25.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, three spots worse than last week...

Should they be buyers or sellers? Sellers. They’ve already started by moving Powell and Covington to the Clippers last week. Probably want more than just Keon Johnson and Justise Winslow as the fun parts in return to sell to the fans. Nobody is expecting Damian Lillard to be on the block, but CJ McCollum definitely becomes the guy to watch here. There have been so many talks and rumors about moving McCollum for years, but you have to make sure you’re getting similar return for an All-Star guard, even if he’s never made the All-Star Weekend. The Blazers aren’t close to where they need to be. Lillard said it right after they were eliminated last year. A new front office needs to figure out quickly how to appease their star moving forward.

Who should be on the move? Eric Bledsoe is a good contract to move if they’re hoping to get involved in a third team in a big deal. But he also could end up being a buyout candidate. McCollum and maybe even Jusuf Nurkic should be names to watch here. Nurkic is on an expiring deal and he’s someone pretty easy to acquire for his money ($12 million). For any team looking to add effective size, he’d be a brilliant pickup. McCollum’s deal is much harder to acquire, and him missing so much time makes it a little more difficult to buy into acquiring him. More likely he gets moved in the summer, but you never know when these massive dominos will fall and set off a chain reaction.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Spurs at No. 23 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 25.

• Michael Shapiro at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, four spots worse than last week...

As if an abysmal, depressing season couldn’t get worse … now the Blazers have lost Nassir Little, their promising young forward, to what appears to be a season-ending shoulder injury, just as he was starting to blossom. There are only two questions left here: Will the Blazers spin off their top veterans—in particular, Jusuf Nurkić, Robert Covington and perhaps CJ McCollum—by the Feb. 10 trade deadline? And can they do enough to retool between now and next season to justify keeping Damian Lillard?

Shapiro has the Trail Blazers behind the Wizards at No. 22 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 24.

POWER RANKINGS » MOMENTUM STALLS IN WEEK 16 →

The Trail Blazers have seemingly been locked into the 10th spot in the West for much of the past two months, and as it stands right now are equally as far from dropping out of the play-in to 11th as they are from jumping over the Lakers for the ninth position. With no team 7th through 12th in the West going better than 5-5 over their last ten games (Portland is 5-5), there has been little movement in the bottom half of the Western Conference standings in recent weeks. A jam-packed slate of games with mixed results for Portland has stalled their rise up the weekly power rankings following a promising 6-2 stretch in weeks prior.

Portland’s defense helped fuel them to some valuable road wins over the eight-game span prior to this week. Neither defense nor road wins have been synonymous with the Trail Blazers this season, but they finished the road trip having tripled their road win total on the season allowing just 106 ppg, 6.7 points better than their season average. Unfortunately, the team defense has stumbled since, allowing 120.3 ppg across this week’s four-game slate, 7.6 points worse than their season average.

Portland has, however, exhibited consistency on the offensive side this week, operating extremely efficiently over the last six games. The Trail Blazers rank first in the league in 3PM per game (16.5), 3P% (44.6%), and EFG% (59.6%) over the last six games. Portland is also averaging 24.5 APG as a team over that span including three consecutive 25+ assist performances. The ball is moving and players are getting open looks. When the defense has been there, this team has found ways to get it done, but they had stretches against the Mavericks and Bulls this week in which they gave up big in-game runs that proved to be insurmountable in the end.

Portland kicked off week 16 at home with a hard-fought close game against the Timberwolves but ultimately fell short losing 107-109. The Trail Blazers, who had been strong at home to start the year, then lost the second of two home games on a short home stint, falling to the Mavericks 112-132. It was the eighth time Portland has allowed 130+ points per 100 possessions in a game this season. To make matters worse, Nassir Little went down late against the Mavericks with a shoulder injury. Little, who has grown into an energetic defensive stopper and highlight-reel machine on offense, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Following the unfortunate events of the Mavericks game, Portland hit the road yet again and took care of business against the Rockets on the first of four road games behind one of the more efficient offensive performances of the season shooting 56.8% FG and 43.6% 3P. Portland then lost to the Bulls in Chicago 116-130 on the first of a back-to-back, marking the ninth time this season Portland has allowed 130+ points per 100 possessions.

Just when it seems the Trail Blazers are gaining momentum and finding consistency in their defensive identity, another up-and-down week brings those things into question. A carousel of injuries has forced the Trail Blazers to rely on a next-man-up mentality. With almost everyone missing time at some point this season, Portland hasn’t been able to field the starting lineup they began the season with since November. Nassir Little’s injury news comes on the heels of Norman Powell’s return to the lineup after missing eight games. CJ McCollum has been back in the lineup for eight games now and has been scoring 21.6 PPG in that span. His running mate, Damian Lillard will remain out for a while rehabbing from abdominal surgery. Fortunately, Anfernee Simons has proven to be quite the reliable scorer in that role scoring at a 21.0 PPG clip since McCollum has been back. Simons has been making 4.5 threes per game in the month of January, good for second-most in the league over that span.

The frontcourt remains thin with Cody Zeller and Larry Nance out with injuries. One player who has really taken advantage of the available minutes in their absence is Trendon Watford. The undrafted rookie contributed 10 points and three blocks in 22 minutes against the Bulls on Sunday. Coach Chauncey Billups reaffirmed his trust in Watford despite his limited experience saying, “You can play him at the four, you can play him at the five. You just have to have him out there… He does winning things to impact the game.” If nothing else, this injury-laden season has provided more available minutes and opportunities for the development of young players in Portland.

Upon the conclusion of this current four-game road trip, Portland will return home to Moda Center for five straight home games, four of which come against teams currently below .500. The Trail Blazers will have the opportunity to get their homecourt swagger back before heading into the All-Star break. There has been little movement to the power rankings for Portland after a less-than-stellar week thanks to less-than-stellar weeks from teams near them in the rankings. Coming in as high as No. 19 and as low as No. 22, here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 16th edition of the weekly power rankings.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, one spot worse than last week...

The Blazers had a nice 6-2 stretch in the middle of the month and CJ McCollum continues to look as good as ever offensively, averaging 21.6 points on an effective field goal percentage of 59.1% over the eight games since his return. Among 38 players who’ve attempted at least 35 pull-up jumpers over the last two weeks, only Mike Conley (61.8%) and Kyrie Irving (60.2%) have shot more effectively than McCollum (59.3%) on those pull-ups. And over that stretch, Portland has outscored its opponents by 10.9 points per 100 possessions in 153 minutes with its four full-time starters — McCollum, Anfernee Simons, Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic — on the floor.

The Blazers’ win in Houston on Friday was their third most efficient offensive performance (125 points on 102 possessions) since Thanksgiving. But this remains a bad defensive team, and losses to the Mavs and Bulls last week were the eighth and ninth times this season that the Blazers have allowed more than 130 points per 100 possessions. That happened just five times last season, when league-wide efficiency was higher and when the Blazers also ranked 29th defensively. Losing Nassir Little (likely for the season) to a shoulder injury is a blow to that 29th-ranked defense. The Blazers allowed less than a point per possession in 219 minutes with Little on the floor alongside Simons, Covington and Nurkic, but have allowed 120.1 per 100 in 186 minutes with the other three on the floor without Little.

They will play six of their next seven games against teams that rank in the bottom eight offensively (with two games each against the Thunder and Lakers), but the Blazers are halfway through a stretch of eight games in 12 days.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 20 and ahead of the Wizards at No. 22.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, the same as last week...

After a stretch that saw them win six of eight games and get healthier, the Blazers have stumbled again. Portland has lost three of the past four games, including blowout losses at the hands of Dallas and Chicago. Still, Portland hovers at the 10th spot in the West. It will be interesting to see what the Blazers do as the trade deadline approaches.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 21 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 23.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, the same as last week...

Any All-Star locks? Shockingly, no. The Portland Trail Blazers shouldn’t have anybody locked into the All-Star weekend. This seems insane when a team has Damian Lillard on its roster.

Any All-Star fringes? I’m going to say no on this one too. Lillard is currently hurt and has missed a ton of time this season, and his season has been confusingly subpar by his standards. He’s scoring his lowest average in seven seasons. He posted the lowest field goal and 3-point percentages of his career. It’s the lowest true shooting percentage other than his rookie campaign. The only reason he’d be selected by the coaches this season is because of what they know he can be. Nobody else on this roster is close either.

Any other weekend participants? Anfernee Simons is the defending dunk champ, so maybe he’ll get thrown back into the mix. I guess Larry Nance Jr. or Dennis Smith Jr. could always be called upon to participate in the dunk contest. Maybe CJ McCollum would want to do the skills challenge? That’s about it.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Wizards at No. 20 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 21.

• Howard Beck at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 19 this week, three spots better than last week...

As if an abysmal, depressing season couldn’t get worse … now the Blazers have lost Nassir Little, their promising young forward, to what appears to be a season-ending shoulder injury, just as he was starting to blossom. There are only two questions left here: Will the Blazers spin off their top veterans—in particular, Jusuf Nurkić, Robert Covington and perhaps CJ McCollum—by the Feb. 10 trade deadline? And can they do enough to retool between now and next season to justify keeping Damian Lillard?

Beck has the Trail Blazers behind the Clippers at No. 18 and ahead of the Lakers at No. 20.

POWER RANKINGS » PICKING UP MOMENTUM IN WEEK 15 →

The Trail Blazers return home from their six-game road trip, the longest of the season, with four more wins and a better idea of what their team identity can be when this roster coalesces as a unit. Behind a third consecutive 2-1 week, Portland is now 6-2 over its last eight games and boasts the league’s seventh-best defensive rating (106.9) during that span. Offensively, the Blazers have had five players in double-digit scoring in nine of their last 11 games. With defensive schemes and ball movement being focal points for coach Chauncey Billups coming into the season, it has to be refreshing to see this team gain some consistency on those fronts after struggling in that regard for much of the season. “I thought it was an excellent trip. I’m so proud of our guys; we’re just becoming a real unit,” Coach Billups said in summation of the trip following Sunday’s victory in Toronto.

This week’s success coincided with the return of CJ McCollum, who is averaging 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals in his four games back. Portland is 3-1 since McCollum’s return, and one player who has seen the benefits of McCollum’s gravity as a perimeter scorer is Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic is leading the league in rebounding in the four games since McCollum has been back at 16.0 RPG. Nurkic (19.8 PPG), McCollum (20.8 PPG), and Anfernee Simons (20.0 PPG) are each averaging about 20 PPG across that span as well. The Trail Blazers are the only team in the league with three players averaging at least 19.8 PPG over the last four games and Norman Powell, who is averaging 18.6 PPG on the season is set to make his return on Tuesday after missing the last eight games. With the return of Powell, Portland will once again have a slew of offensive threats available to them. None by the name of Damian Lillard, who will remain out for most of the rest of the season, but this team continues to show real growth in his absence and has fought their way to an 8-9 record in games without Lillard this season.

Portland has found a way to close out close late-game victories in each of the last two games without the luxury of having one of the most prolific clutch scorers in league history in Damian Lillard. Against the Celtics on Jan. 21, it was Jusuf Nurkic who hit the go-ahead hook shot off of an offensive rebound with 13.1 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. This proved to be the dagger, as Portland went on to beat Boston 109-105. Nurkic recorded 29 points, 17 rebounds, and six assists in the winning effort and became the first Trail Blazer since Bill Walton in the 1977-78 season to record 29 or more points, 17 or more rebounds, and six or more assists. Nurkic has had a knack for recording these anomalous stat lines since his historic performance of 24 points, 23 rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and five blocks against the Kings in 2019, the NBA’s first and only 20-point 20-rebound 5x5 game. Portland also set a season-high mark in 3-PT % against the Celtics shooting 48.5% from deep in that game.

The Trail Blazers shattered that mark two nights later against the Raptors in Toronto connecting on 18 of 32 threes for 56.3% from deep. Portland also reached a season-high mark in assists in that game with 31 despite no one player having more than six assists individually. The Raptors game had the makings of a blowout with the Blazers leading by 30 at the half, but the Raptors clawed their way back into the game in the second half with hard trapping defense to get within four points with just over a minute to go in the fourth. After the Raptors’ on-ball pressure forced a couple of turnovers off of inbound plays late in the fourth quarter, it was Anfernee Simons who proved to be the hero on this night with two late threes to put the Raptors away. “Through it all, we’ve gotten better - obviously came out with some good wins as well,” Simons said in summation of the recent 6-game road trip.

Some good wins indeed, but it hasn’t yet been enough to move the needle much in either the standings or the power rankings this week. After a 4-2 East-Coast road trip, the Trail Blazers have tripled their road win total on the season and now sit at 12-7 against Eastern Conference teams. While this recent stretch has shown promise for Portland, they will need to continue to string together quality wins to get back into the Western Conference playoff hunt. Portland is up just slightly in this week’s power rankings coming in as high as No. 20 and as low as No. 22. Here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 15th edition of the weekly power rankings with hope on the horizon.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 20 this week, one spot better than last week...

If the Blazers make the Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference (they currently hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the 11th place Pelicans), it could be a result of how well they’ve played against the East. They’re now 12-7 (fourth-best among West teams) against the opposite conference, having gone 4-1 over a trip that ended Sunday. And if they come one game short of their goal (which could be a higher seed), they may look back with regret at their 12-point loss in Miami on Wednesday, when they were outscored by 18 points (scoring just seven points on 17 offensive possessions) in 8:34 with neither Anfernee Simons nor CJ McCollum on the floor, choosing not to stagger their minutes of as much as they could have.

Of course, having the opportunity to stagger the minutes of two potent guards again is a good thing. McCollum looked pretty sharp offensively (goodbye, Max Strus) in averaging 20.8 points (on an effective field goal percentage of 61%) over his first four games back from a six-week absence, while Jusuf Nurkic (29 points and the game-sealing put-back in Boston on Friday) continues to play his best basketball of the season. Most interesting may be that the Blazers have a top-10 defense over a 6-2 stretch.

The Blazers are only home for a back-to-back before they head back out for a four-game trip. They’re only three games behind the seventh-place Wolves (who are at the Moda Center on Tuesday), with three games left in the season series.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Hawks at No. 19 and ahead of the Wizards at No. 21.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, one spot better than last week...

The Blazers have won four of their past five games -- all on the road -- and have won three of their past four with CJ McCollum back in the lineup. The guard had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in a quality win Sunday in Toronto. Slowly, coach Chauncey Billups' team is climbing back into the playoff hunt.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Hawks at No. 21 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 23.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, one spot better than last week...

I know the Portland Trail Blazers just got CJ McCollum back on the court, but I think this is their promising lineup for the rest of the campaign. Damian Lillard is going to be out for a while, and some people have wondered if he’s out for the season. Covington has struggled at times to be consistent. Nurkic is asked to do more than he can likely accomplish, especially on defense. But McLemore continues to be a nice plug-and-play option, and Little is having a bit of a surge. McCollum will be huge for them the rest of the season, but we’ve also seen Simons do some really promising things leading some of these lineups. Let’s see what this one can continue to do as the Blazers try to hang on to the Play-In Tournament.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 20 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 21.

• Michael Pina at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, the same as last week...

When I profiled Simons a couple summers ago, the hype surrounding his potential was strong and steeped in hyperbole (his trainer called him “a rough draft copy of” Klay Thompson and Damian Lillard. Everyone around Simons since he was young saw legitimate greatness in his dunk-contest-winning bounce and three-point-contest-worthy shot.

Now, in the middle of a nightmare Blazers season, he’s blooming. Simons’s scoring average is almost twice as high as it was last season. His two-point percentage is up almost 10% and, according to Synergy, among all players who’ve finished at least 150 possessions as a pick-and-roll ball handler, Simons ranks No. 1 in efficiency. The jump from intriguing talent to dependable star is never guaranteed, but if Simons played for the Knicks and wasn’t reserved, it’d be treated as a foregone conclusion. He’s still only 22!

Pina has the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 21 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 23.

• Kyle Irving at Sporting News has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, three spots better than last week...

Sure, the team has missed Damian Lillard plenty this season. The 6-foot-2 guard hasn’t played a single game in 2022 and missed six before then but the team wasn’t doing much even with him, owning a 12-17 record in games he has played. The play of young guard Anfernee Simons has been encouraging for the franchise, however, provided the talent on their squad, they have certainly underachieved with their sub .500 record. It's probably time for a reset in Portland. 

Irving has the Trail Blazers behind the Hawks at No. 21 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 23.

POWER RANKINGS » RISING & SHOWING PROMISE IN WEEK 14 →

The Portland starting lineup has felt like a revolving door for much of the second quarter of the season. Between injuries, Covid-related absences, and other outside circumstances, the Trail Blazers have fielded 16 different starting lineups through 43 games this season. When compared to the 13 starting lineups used throughout all of last season, which was not particularly injury-free, it becomes clear that first-year head coach Chauncey Billups has had to do the most with the cards he’s been dealt this season. After an impressive 5-3 start to January without the services of their top two scorers, the Trail Blazers still sit seven games below .500, but these games without Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum have provided an opportunity for the other players to exhibit their growth and chemistry together in expanded roles. The proof is in the pudding for Portland's supporting cast who have had some stellar performances in recent games.

Anfernee Simons has been scorching hot, averaging 26.1 points and 8.0 assists on 50% FG in the month of January including career-high performances in points (43) and assists (11, twice). At just 22 years old, Simons is beginning to string together big games with the consistency needed to be a star in this league, and the league is taking notice, as Simons has seen double-teams sent his way in recent games.

His young running mate Nassir Little has also scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games for Portland. The Uber-athletic Little has shown grit and hustle on the defensive end and galvanized the team with energy-inducing dunks on the other end. 

Veteran forward Robert Covington has been showing off his three-and-D chops, averaging 2.8 steals and 2.0 blocks over the last six games, including two games with five made threes. 

Jusuf Nurkić has recorded two straight 20-point double-doubles including a performance of 21 points, 22 rebounds, four steals, and two blocks against Orlando on Monday. 

Ben McLemore has scored in double figures in each of the last five games on 18 total made threes, good for sixth-most in the league over that span. 

The starting five of Simons-McLemore-Little-Covington-Nurkić is 3-0 this season and the only Portland starting lineup to all score in double figures in a game. With CJ McCollum returning to the lineup after missing the last 18 games, Portland adds another offensive weapon back to a lineup that has been rolling as of late. 

In CJ McCollum’s first game back on Monday, Portland took care of the last-place Magic in Orlando. McCollum contributed 16 points on 7-13 shooting and looked to be getting his rhythm back offensively in his return to the court. Portland’s next game against the Heat in Miami may serve as a better gauge of how this roster looks with McCollum back after the growth and chemistry the rest of the starters exhibited in this recent stretch of games.

Norman Powell should return to the lineup soon as well after missing the last five contests in the league’s health-and-safety protocols. Just like that, Portland will have two of their top three scorers back after a 4-1 stretch of games without either of their services.

Following what may have been the most high-profile win of the season over the Nets, Portland kicked off a six-game road trip on the wrong foot with an ugly 108-140 loss to the Nuggets in Denver, but have since doubled their road win total on the season with wins over the Wizards and Magic. The Trail Blazers are now 4-1 over the last five games and have been playing winning basketball in the month of January without some of their top scorers.

Damian Lillard will remain out for the next couple of months following abdominal surgery, but there is hope in Portland with the way the others have stepped up and it’s reflected in this week’s power rankings. Portland took the biggest leap up the rankings in weeks, coming in as high as No. 20 and as low as No. 23. Here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the fourteenth edition of the weekly power rankings after a promising start to the new year.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, three spots better than last week...

Last week brought some clarity on the Blazers’ backcourt. Damian Lillard had surgery on his abdomen and will be re-evaluated in late February or early March. CJ McCollum, meanwhile, is expected to make his return (from an 18-game absence) on Monday. So it will be a McCollum-Anfernee Simons backcourt for at least the next several weeks. The Blazers are 1-3 with McCollum and not Lillard, with the three losses having come by 29, 31 and 28 points (the win was over Detroit). But they’ve outscored their opponents by 1.7 points per 100 possessions in 250 total minutes with McCollum and Simons on the floor without Lillard.

And they’re 4-3 without either Lillard or McCollum in January, with the league’s sixth-ranked offense this month. They’ve won their last three games with Simons, who missed their loss in Denver on Thursday and has averaged 28.3 points (fourth in the league) and 8.2 assists in 2022. Jusuf Nurkic had his best game in a while (23 points and 14 rebounds) in Washington on Saturday, as the Blazers outscored their opponent in the paint for the first time in their last 16 games.

That was also just the Blazers’ third road win of the season, but it improved them to 9-6 against the Eastern Conference. They should also be getting Norman Powell back (he’s missed the last four games) as they complete their six-game trip this week.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 20 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 22.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, two spots better than last week...

Damian Lillard underwent abdominal surgery, and he will be out another six to eight weeks. Still, the Blazers have somehow won three of their past four games. Credit coach Chauncey Billups for getting his team to persevere and Anfernee Simons for showing what he can do with a bigger opportunity. Simons is averaging 27.8 points in January, and the Blazers have won the past three games he has played. (He did not play during Portland's 140-108 loss to the Nuggets on Thursday.) Despite Lillard's absence, the Blazers will get a boost with CJ McCollum expected back as soon as Monday.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Hawks at No. 22 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 24.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, one spot better than last week...

The thing keeping the Blazers out of an F grade is that they fired Neil Olshey. That was a long time coming, and the Portland Trail Blazers at least got that right this season. The coaching change hasn’t fixed anything, and it’s fair to wonder if it hurt them in the short term. Maybe Terry Stotts wasn’t going to make this team better, but he seemed to keep them from being this bad. Damian Lillard is out for a while. They’re barely holding off Sacramento and New Orleans in the standings. But at least Anfernee Simons has been fun, and CJ McCollum is back.

Prediction Update? No, I’ll stick with this one and just wear the L as a scarlet letter on my lapel. I had the Blazers being in the top 20 in defensive rating. Not a tall task, or at least that’s what I thought. They’re 30th in the NBA this season, and there’s probably no way they actually climb up to at least 20th. Everything is a struggle for them, and this season looks like a complete waste at this point.

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

• Rohan Nadkarni at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, four spots better than last week...

With Damian Lillard’s return this season looking questionable, C.J. McCollum’s own injury troubles, and a 17–25 record, Portland clearly needs to be looking to retool. The Dame-CJ pair hit its ceiling a while ago, and perhaps no roster is in bigger need of a reset. The Blazers don’t have to give up on Lillard or on contending with him. Moving basically all the vets (Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington are on trade-friendly expiring deals) and executing a one-year tank could reload this team very quickly in time for as early as next season. At the very least, give Lillard a fresh start with a new cast next year instead of letting him hit his head against the wall with the current group.

Nadkarni has the Trail Blazers behind the Kings at No. 21 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 23.

ZACH LOWE: LITTLE'S GROWTH, SIMONS' FLOAT GAME →

The Trail Blazers have spent more time than they’re accustomed to without the likes of star guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum on the court this season, but this most recent stretch without Lillard and McCollum has shed light on the development of two potential stars-in-the-making in Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little. 

Simons has averaged 27.8 points and 7.6 assists on 51.1 FG% and 44.6 3P% in a starting role over his last five outings. While Nassir Little hasn’t stuffed the stat sheet offensively in quite the same way, he’s been tasked with guarding the other team’s best player most nights and answered that call beautifully. Against the Nets on Jan. 10, he finished the game with three blocks and a steal and spent much of his night bothering the shots of Kevin Durant (9-19 FG) and Kyrie Irving (9-21 FG). 

At only 22 and 21 years old respectively, Ant and Nas are putting the league on notice. ESPN Senior Writer Zach Lowe included the Portland duo in his ‘Lowe’s 10 Things’, a weekly collection of intriguing storylines throughout the league, saying:

Little may be turning into the 3-and-D tweener forward the Blazers needed when they were trying to win. Little's shot comes and goes -- he's at 32% on 3s -- but his form looks fine, and he's stepping into them with confidence. He's only 21. 

More encouraging has been watching Little zip by defenders who run him off the arc, knife into the lane, and make the next pass. He has shown glimpses of a post game against switches, or when defenses hide guards on him. 

Little is a solid defender, with a chance to be really good. He's strong enough to defend power forwards, and envelopes wings with his massive 7-1 wingspan. Little isn't super athletic, but he's the right kind of fast to excel on defense -- quick in tight spaces, nimble changing direction, with good balance and instincts.

He also spent a lot of time on Kevin Durant, and anyone who survives Irving and Durant without looking foolish is someone to watch.

Simons has a filthy first step -- powerful and fast. He's hitting enough 3s -- about 40%, though only 32% off the bounce -- that help defenders pressure him on the pick-and-roll. Simons roasts those guys in open space. 

His floater has been a revelation. He gets huge elevation, and lofts from odd angles going left or right. 

Simons has nailed an amazing 53% from floater range, per Cleaning The Glass. Portland has scored 1.09 points when Simons shoots out of a pick-and-roll, or passes to a teammate who launches -- fifth among 126 players who have run at least 200 such plays, per Second Spectrum. 

The Blazers are only minus-5 in 283 minutes when Simons has played without both Lillard and CJ McCollum. 

Simons' next step is playmaking for others. He's a gunner, and over-dribbles setting up pick-and-rolls. Even so, you can see some early strides in his passing. 

CJ McCollum is set to rejoin the team this week, but with Dame sidelined after undergoing abdominal surgery, the Simons/Little duo should continue to see big minutes. There are many players in the NBA capable of having big nights when given the opportunity to play extended minutes, but it is the consistency with which a player can string these performances together that determines who becomes a star in this league. Both Simons and Little have taken a huge leap in the consistency department this season and their expanded roles will provide ample opportunity for them to prove such.

The continued emergence of Little and Simons should be fun to watch, as these two electric young players continue to see the work that they put in pay off in big ways on the court.

POWER RANKINGS » THE OTHER GUYS SHINE IN WEEK 13 →

It’s been “next man up” in Portland for the Trail Blazers who have now reeled off two wins in a row without the services of their three highest-paid players in Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Norman Powell. The other guys have stepped up given extended minutes and they look like they’re having fun doing it. The Blazers, down four starters, beat the Nets Monday night with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Anfernee Simons took his playmaking to another level finishing with a career-high 11 assists and continually getting to the paint for tough buckets including a circus layup that was good for #6 on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays.

Simons has been averaging 27.8 PPG and 7.6 APG on 51.1% FG and 44.6 % 3-PT over the last five games with Dame and CJ out. In the week following his grandfather’s tragic passing, Simons has now recorded career highs in points, assists, field goals made, three-pointers made, and free throws made. Others have stepped up big as well and Portland has been spreading the love on offense, having five-or-more players score in double figures in four of the last five games. “When stars are there, you know you have everybody obviously deferring to the better players,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, “but now, we just hooping. We just hooping so I’m not surprised because I see the work these guys put in.” Billups also applauded the work that his staff has been doing with player development.

Visually, this team has shown the physicality and effort in these last two wins that coach Billups has preached throughout the year, and the defense has been free of glaring breakdowns throughout long stretches of games. Even the losses to Cleveland and Miami were close and physical throughout before slipping away at the end, particularly compared to some of the blowout losses that the Trail Blazers suffered to close out 2021. Portland has allowed only 103.3 PPG across the last three contests, good for seventh-best in the league over that span and significantly better than the 112.5 PPG allowed on the season.

The Trail Blazers have played 15 of their last 19 games at home and gone 6-9 in those home games. Between injuries and health-and-safety protocols shaking up the roster, Portland wasn’t exactly able to take advantage of this home-heavy stretch of the schedule. Injury and Covid-related absences have however provided the opportunity for extended minutes and likely accelerated player development for some of the younger players on the team. “No matter who’s available, we’re all competitors. For me, I just want to prove myself as a player who can generate wins for a team,” said Anfernee Simons following Portland’s victory over Brooklyn on Monday. Having now reeled off two wins in a row, the opportunity for these players to get more minutes is already proving fruitful for the Trail Blazers.

The time comes yet again to see if Portland can take this show on the road with a two-week, six-game road trip kicking off against the Nuggets on Thursday. The Trail Blazers still have just two road wins on the year, a league low. As of now, Portland sits in the 10th and final play-in spot in the west. With Damian Lillard not making the trip and McCollum still out, it will be up to Simons and co. to bring this newfound mojo on the road.

This upcoming road trip will take us through the halfway point of the 2021-22 NBA season. At 16-24, Portland still sits in the bottom 10 of the power rankings, but the performance of “the other guys” stepping up in the face of adversity has provided this team with the spark needed to grind out a couple of timely victories leading to a slight uptick in this week's rankings, coming in as low as No. 26 and as high as No. 23. Here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 13th edition of the weekly power rankings with 40 games down and 42 to go.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, three spots better than last week...

Anfernee Simons had the worst effective field goal percentage (40.7%) in December among 202 players with at least 75 field goal attempts last month. But it’s a new month (a new year, even), and January has brought three of the four highest-scoring games of Simons’ career. His effective field goal percentage of 70.7% in January ranks fifth among 150 players with at least 35 field goal attempts this month and the Blazers (still playing without both Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum) have scored 121.5 points per 100 possessions in his 147 minutes on the floor. Twenty-three of his 38 January buckets have come from beyond the arc, but his 14 points against Cleveland on Friday (the one January game not in his top four) included a bucket where he drove past Evan Mobley and finished around Jarrett Allen.

More important is that the Blazers are 2-2 this month, having outlasted the Hawks in a 136-131 barn-burner on Monday and having won ugly against the Kings on Sunday. This team went 3-9 between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, and it’s currently tied for the last Play-In spot in the West. Of course, Lillard may be out a while longer, McCollum’s return might be delayed by the birth of his first child, and Norman Powell entered Health and Safety Protocols on Sunday.

The Blazers have played the league’s most home-heavy schedule thus far (24 of 39 at the Moda Center) and they host the Nets with a rest advantage on Monday. They still have the fewest road wins in the league (they’re 2-13) and their longest road trip of the season — six games over 11 days — begins in Denver on Thursday.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Spurs at No. 23 and ahead of the Kings at No. 24.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 25 this week, the same as last week...

Already without Damian Lillard (abdomen) and CJ McCollum, the Blazers lost Norman Powell to health and safety protocols. But Anfernee Simons scored 31 points to help Portland beat Sacramento and at least give the Blazers something to feel good about. Portland entered Sunday having lost 16 of its previous 21 games. After a home game against the Nets and a fresh Kyrie Irving, the Blazers hit the road for six straight. It will continue to be the Simons show if Lillard and McCollum don't return anytime soon.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 24 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 26.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, one spot better than last week...

Biggest takeaway from the hardship era: Does it feel like we’re going to see Damian Lillard anytime soon? I think the near future of the Portland Trail Blazers doesn’t involve him. Not because he’s going to demand a trade, but because he is going to continue to miss a lot of time with this abdominal injury. The Blazers have a six-game road trip coming up, and it doesn’t sound like Lillard is going to make that trip. That means a lot of Anfernee Simons, and he’s been on a really good run since the tragic passing of his grandfather. Simons is getting the opportunity to show what he can do consistently, and he’s capitalizing on it. The Blazers season isn’t going well, and it doesn’t seem as if it’ll turn around any time soon, but at least there’s some fun hope with how Simons is playing.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 22 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 24.

• Chris Herring at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 26 this week, the same as last week...

Just days after saying that franchise player Damian Lillard could sit out for an extended period of time if his nagging abdominal injury doesn’t show signs of improvement soon, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters Sunday that Lillard wouldn’t be traveling for the club’s upcoming seven-game road trip. Instead, the All-NBA guard will meet with a specialist to determine what he should do next. Lillard is in the midst of a career-worst shooting season as Portland stands tied for 10th place in the West, meaning the Blazers are alive in the race for one of the last few play-in spots.

Herring has the Trail Blazers behind the Pelicans at No. 25 and ahead of the Thunder at No. 27.

POWER RANKINGS » THE WRONG DIRECTION AFTER 0-3 WEEK 12 →

This week’s slate of games included three straight double-digit losses to Western Conference opponents in which the Blazers were left short-handed due to injury and Covid-related absences. Prior to signing the 6’8” Reggie Perry to a 10-day contract, Portland was without a player over 6’7” on the active roster, and their inability to match height on the court showed. It was an inopportune time to be without a true center, as the Jazz and Mavericks with Gobert, Whiteside, Porzingis, and Marjanovic were able to load the court with seven-footers and take advantage of Portland’s lack of size in the paint. The Blazers allowed 130.3 ppg over this three-game span, 64.0 of which came in the paint.

Portland finished out the calendar year with a loss to the Lakers on New Year’s Eve. The Lakers got out in front early, starting the game on a 22-7 run that felt indicative of how the night might go. Ben McLemore entered the game at the 8:45 mark of the first quarter and poured in 16 first-quarter points on his way to a 28-point performance. His 16 first-quarter points were the most by a player off the bench in the first quarter of a game this season. Unfortunately, the defense fell short again allowing Lebron James to score 43 points and the Lakers to score 139 points overall, both season highs for James and the Lakers respectively. Damian Lillard contributed 18 points in 32 minutes, breaking an eight-game streak of scoring 20-or-more points. Lillard sat out the subsequent game managing the abdominal tendinopathy that has now kept him out for seven games this season. With CJ McCollum still sidelined with right lung pneumothorax, this marks the 16th game this season Portland has been without their star guard duo on the court together. They are 4-12 in those games and 10-10 in games where both Lillard and McCollum have played.

These losses to the lineup have, at the very least, provided an opportunity for some of the younger players and new additions to play extended minutes. Ben McLemore has scored 28 points twice over the last five games, pouring in 14 threes across his two 28-point performances. Nassir Little recorded his first career 20-point 10-rebound game on Dec. 27 against the Mavericks, including a career-high-tying three blocks and two steals. Anfernee Simons is coming off of a career night of 43 points and seven assists on Monday, which he dedicated to his grandfather who had passed on Sunday. The hope is that these performances have helped build confidence and chemistry on the court for these players that can carry over once the roster is whole again.

With plenty of season left, there is still time for Portland to get healthy and right the ship, but the urgency to go on a run is increasing. After going 2-11 in the month of December, Portland is in unfamiliar territory near the bottom of the power rankings, coming in as low as No. 27 and as high as No. 24. Here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the 12th edition of the weekly power rankings to finish the calendar year.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 27 this week, three spots worse than last week...

The Blazers have fallen back to 30th on defense, having allowed an amazing 130.7 points per 100 possessions over a four-game losing streak that has included losses to two teams — the Pelicans and Lakers – that rank in the bottom 10 offensively. Their four opponents averaged 46 points per game (on 74% shooting) in the restricted area. League averages: 33 restricted-area points per game on 64% shooting.

But defense hasn’t been the only problem. As they lost 11 of their 13 games in December, the Blazers were the only team that ranked in the bottom five in both offensive and defensive efficiency for the month. Among 202 players with at least 75 field goal attempts in December, Anfernee Simons had the worst effective field goal percentage (40.7%). And Robert Covington (46.1%), Norman Powell (47.4%) and Damian Lillard (51.4%) were also below the league average (52.9%). The Blazers finished the month with three games in which they trailed by 29, 22 and 35 points, falling into holes early on. In fact, they haven’t held a lead over their last 142 minutes of game time.

The Blazers’ January schedule is easier than their December schedule in regard to cumulative opponent winning percentage, but it’s more road-heavy, and this team is just 2-13 away from the Moda Center. The month does start with a four-game homestand.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Thunder at No. 26 and ahead of the Rockets at No. 28.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 25 this week, one spot worse than last week...

The season continues to spiral for Portland. The Blazers dropped their fourth straight game on New Year's Eve, when they fell by 33 points to the Lakers. Portland enters 2022 having lost 11 of the past 13 tilts. With Jusuf Nurkic, Cody Zeller and Dennis Smith Jr. in health and safety protocols and CJ McCollum (lung) still out, Damian Lillard will have to continue to shoulder a massive load to resuscitate Portland's sinking season.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 24 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 26.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, one spot worse than last week...

Blow this thing up. I’m not sure Joe Cronin has the true authority right now in an interim role to make huge wholesale changes for the Portland Trail Blazers roster. That feels like something ownership would rather have in the hands of someone getting the job full time. So if Cronin isn’t on the path to being the main person moving forward, it wouldn’t make sense to have him swinging huge trades. But the Blazers should do it. It doesn’t have to mean Damian Lillard goes, but CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic and Robert Covington (if you can get someone to believe he’s still a difference-maker) should probably be on the move. What’s existing now isn’t working, and it doesn’t sound like there’s a ton of confidence that it’ll get back to where it needs to be when McCollum comes back to full strength. The Blazers should’ve made some moves a long time ago, and now they’re just barely competitive a lot of nights.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 23 and ahead of the Kings at No. 25.

• Chris Mannix at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 26 this week, two spots worse than last week...

Don’t look too closely at the Blazers upcoming schedule. Portland has home dates with Atlanta, Miami and Cleveland this week before the conference’s worst road team heads out on a six-game trip. Damian Lillard remains banged up and the Blazers have lost four straight. Not good.

Mannix has the Trail Blazers behind the Pelicans at No. 25 and ahead of the Thunder at No. 27.

• Kyle Irving at Sporting News has the Trail Blazers at No. 25 this week, two spots worse than last week...

New Year's Resolution: Keep the playoff streak alive

The Blazers have made the playoffs for the past eight seasons, but as it stands now, they’re not even in contention for the Play-In Tournament spot. They’ve had five first-round exits in that time frame and even though Damian Lillard may say his career won’t be defined by rings, the competitor in him would still want to be in contention. 

Irving has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 24 and ahead of the Thunder at No. 26.

POWER RANKINGS » ONE GAME, ONE LOSS, ONE SPOT LOWER IN WEEK 11 →

After snapping a seven-game losing streak with two big wins last week, the Trail Blazers lost their lone game this week 97-111 to a Pelicans team with the fourth-worst scoring offense in the league. It was the sixth time this season Portland has scored less than 100 points, exceeding the number of less-than-100-point scoring outputs in all of the 2020-21 season (five). Damian Lillard poured in 39 points and was ejected for the first time in his career after receiving his second technical with only a second left in the game. Portland was within two points in the fourth quarter but allowed New Orleans to end the game on a 19-6 run. 

The Pelicans game provided a much-needed opportunity for the Blazers to win more than two games in a row, but with a loss, Portland has proven unable to do that in the entire month of December. To make matters worse, multiple players on Portland’s roster have entered the league’s Covid-19 related health and safety protocols since returning from last week’s short road stint. Despite other injuries and distractions, the Trail Blazers had largely been able to avoid the Covid-19 outbreaks that we’ve seen deplete NBA rosters of late, but now with coach Chauncey Billups and seven players out with Covid-related absences, we can add that to the list of hurdles in an already tumultuous season for Portland. The Blazers have signed three G-league players to 10-day hardship exception contracts. Had they not signed F Jarron Cumberland, F Cameron McGriff, and G Brandon Williams, Portland wouldn’t have had the required eight players to play Monday night’s game against the Mavericks. Portland was able to hang with the Mavericks, who are in a similar Covid situation, for much of the first half, but with a decimated bench and no one above 6’7” on the active roster, the Blazers’ lack of size and depth proved lethal as the Mavericks blew the game open in the second half and shot 57% for the game on their way to a 132-117 victory.

On the bright side, Nassir Little recorded a season-high 20 points to go with 10 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals in the Mavericks game and the losses to the roster have provided an opportunity for some younger players to log more minutes. Damian Lillard has been putting up All-Star numbers again, averaging 32.2 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.6 rebounds over the last five games. If these trends can continue once Portland gets much of their roster back from health and safety protocols and CJ McCollum back from injury then maybe, just maybe they can go on a run and find some consistency to begin the new year.

Coming in as low as No. 24 and as high as No. 23 in this week’s power rankings, Portland canceled out the progress it made in last week’s rankings with a loss to a bottom-tier team on a short week. Here’s where the Blazers sit in the 11th edition of the weekly power rankings after a tough week on and off the court.

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, two spots worse than last week...

The Blazers are somehow in the bottom five of a conference that includes the Thunder, Rockets, Pelicans, Kings, Spurs and Timberwolves. Because their game against Brooklyn was postponed, their only game last week was a loss to the Pelicans in which they allowed a bottom-10 offense to score 60 points on just 42 possessions in the second half. Their defense had shown some signs of progress over the last few weeks, but that was obviously a step backward. Portland’s is the only defense that ranks in the bottom five in both opponent field goal percentage in the paint (57.5%, 26th) and opponent effective field goal percentage outside the paint (52.6%, 28th).

The Brooklyn postponement did give them a five-day break and one fewer game missed for CJ McCollum, who will be reevaluated this week, with his collapsed lung having healed. Damian Lillard had a third straight game of more than 30 points in New Orleans and now has an effective field goal percentage of 67% over that mini-stretch. And it should be noted that, even though he’s registered the lowest effective field goal percentage of his career (48.8%), the Blazers’ offense has scored 13.6 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (113.6) than it has with him off the floor (100.0). That on-floor mark ranks 12th among players who’ve averaged at least 20 minutes per game for a team other than the Jazz.

The Blazers had a six-game home losing streak, but they’re 9-1 at the Moda Center with both Lillard and McCollum in the lineup. They’re home for six of their next seven, with their first meeting against the Mavs on Monday.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 23 and ahead of the Thunder at No. 25.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, three spots worse than last week...

From the investigation into and then firing of GM Neil Olshey to the trade speculation surrounding Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, Portland's season is on the brink. The organization needs to decide whether to change the roster around Lillard or make sweeping changes and rebuild since the Blazers are six games under .500. Or, they can stick with what they have and hope that the team finds its groove with rookie coach Chauncey Billups and make a run for a playoff spot.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 23 and ahead of the Pelicans at No. 25.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, two spots worse than last week...

Key three: Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic | 399 minutes | +1.0 net rating

CJ McCollum’s injury means we haven’t seen this one for a while. But the Portland Trail Blazers have invested heavily in this trio being something truly meaningful. Damian Lillard is still the heart of all this, but the Blazers have struggled all season long to put together a good product. Jusuf Nurkic is asked to anchor a defense with a lot of holes in it. The Blazers may need to find a change at some point soon with its roster construction, but at least when this team gets back to full strength, you can expect better play when these three are in the game. Lillard and McCollum need to help everything by being more potent offensively and getting that offensive rating well above 109.0 per 100 possessions.

Booster player: Robert Covington | 337 minutes | -0.3 net rating

The fall of Robert Covington has been dramatic. He was supposed to come into the mix last year and solve a lot of the issues they had as one of the worst defenses in NBA history. Instead, Covington just hasn’t been able to have a consistent impact. We’re not seeing anything like what we saw when he joined Minnesota or Houston. He’s still a solid defender but not a true difference-maker. He’s not a consistent enough shooter to be truly feared. They need so much more from him, mostly on defense. They need to find the guy they were trading for.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Spurs at No. 22 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 24.

• Jeremy Woo at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, one spot worse than last week...

All the injuries and COVID-related issues have laid bare Portland’s lack of depth, which should stand as one of the failures of Neil Olshey’s tenure. It’s not a coincidence that the Blazers are the last team without a G League affiliate. They’ve also wasted a two-way contract slot on Damian Lillard’s cousin for the last two seasons. Sometimes, you make your own bed.

Woo has the Trail Blazers behind the Raptors at No. 23 and ahead of the Kings at No. 25.

POWER RANKINGS » TRENDING UP AFTER SNAPPING LOSING STREAK IN WEEK 10 →

The Trail Blazers have willed their way to two timely wins in a row to stop a seven-game losing streak, their longest since 2015. Portland did just enough this week to stay within play-in contention but will need to build momentum and keep streaking to grind back into better positioning in the Western Conference playoff picture.

It took big minutes and characteristically big games from Damian Lillard, who after a slow start to the season, appears to be back in superstar form. Dame has scored 75 points in as many minutes over the last two wins including a season-high 43 points against Charlotte. It was Lillard’s 40th career game with 40-plus points, making him one of 25 players in league history to score at least 40 points 40 or more times. 

The Trail Blazers turned the ball over a league-worst 19 times per game over this week’s three-game stretch, but were counterintuitively 2-1 over that same span, including just the second road win of the season over a Grizzlies team that had won nine of their last 10 games, and a home win against the Hornets in which the Blazers scored 81 points in the first half. The Blazers were top five in threes made and free-throws made over that same span and were able to shoot their way to victory the last two games fuelled by big shooting nights from the likes of Damian Lillard, Norman Powell, and Ben McLemore.

Norman Powell has scored 20+ points in five of the last seven games starting at shooting guard in the seven-game injury absence of CJ McCollum. He scored 28 points including 5-8 from 3-PT in Sunday’s 105-100 win over Memphis. Ben McLemore contributed 28 points in 27 minutes off the bench in Friday’s 125-116 win over Charlotte. His six threes in the second quarter were one shy of the franchise record for threes in a quarter (McCollum, seven). With still no word on CJ McCollum’s return from injury, the production from the other guards has been a welcome sight in Portland. 

Coming in as low as No. 23 and as high as No. 21 in this week’s power rankings, Portland is trending in the right direction but still sits in the bottom third of the league. After last week’s season-low marks in the power rankings, Portland will likely need to go on a big run of the winning variety to even get back to the rankings with which they started the season.

Here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the tenth edition of the weekly power rankings after rounding out the week with two timely victories:

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, two spots better than last week...

Damian Lillard has been back for the last five games, and it might be that he’s been back for the last two. Lillard totaled 75 points in 75 minutes in weekend wins over the Hornets and Grizzlies, shooting 9-for-20 from 3-point range and 24-for-26 from the free throw line. It was just the fourth and fifth times (in 25 games) this season that he’s scored at least 30 points, having done so in 35 (52%) of his 67 games last season.

CJ McCollum remains on the shelf, but Norman Powell (28 points with two big shots down the stretch in Memphis) has picked up some of the scoring slack and the Blazers have ranked 13th defensively over the two weeks that McCollum has been out. And that’s with five of the seven games having come against teams that rank in the top six on offense. The Blazers obviously want McCollum back soon, but his absence is a clear opportunity to see how important it is to have more size on the floor. The lineup they’ve started the last five games (Nassir Little and Larry Nance Jr. at the forwards) hasn’t been particularly good defensively (114.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) in its 53 minutes, but they’ve allowed just 105.8 per 100 in 396 total minutes with Little and Nance on the floor together.

The victory in Memphis on Sunday was the Blazers’ second road win of the season. They’ll go for No. 3 in New Orleans on Tuesday before getting back to their home-heavy stretch of schedule.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 21 and ahead of the Knicks at No. 23.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, one spot better than last week...

The Blazers might've come up with their two biggest wins of the season this week. Certainly, they are the two most important victories considering how things were spiraling for Portland. The Blazers needed 43 points and eight assists from Damian Lillard to halt a seven-game losing streak and beat the Hornets on Friday. Then the Blazers followed that up by beating the Grizzlies in Memphis on Sunday. It was just their third win since Nov. 24, a disastrous stretch that saw the Blazers lose 10 of 13 games. CJ McCollum missed his seventh straight game Sunday, and he remains out with a lung injury.

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

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, two spots better than last week...

It’s funny to think about how many of the Portland Trail Blazers’ problems get solved by Damian Lillard getting back to being Damian Lillard on the court. For whatever reason (injury, new ball, insane situation with the franchise, random slumps), Lillard has struggled to start this season. Now that he’s apparently back to normal with his body, we’ve seen a glimpse into the regular Dame we’re used to the last two games. It’s not a surprise either that the Blazers have won both of those games. Dame went for 43 in a win over the Hornets, making 12 of 19 from the field and 6 of 11 from deep. Then Sunday against Memphis, he had 32 points on 9-of-19 from the field. He went to the line 26 times total in both games. If Lillard starts playing along these lines as regression hits the mean in the face, the Blazers will stabilize. They need more than that to thrive, but at least they’ll stabilize.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 20 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 22.

• Ben Pickman at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, two spots better than last week...

The Blazers picked up a much-needed win against the Hornets on Friday night and another Sunday by knocking off the surging Grizzlies. Before that, however, Portland had lost seven straight games, and its on-court struggles coincided with front-office turmoil. The Blazers’ offense has been league-average this season, and with a defense in the bottom of the NBA, it’s made for a tough combination.

Pickman has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 22 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 24.

POWER RANKINGS » SLIDING SLIGHTLY FURTHER IN SHORT WEEK 9 →

The Trail Blazers sit with unfamiliar company in the bottom third of the week nine power rankings largely surrounded by rebuilding franchises, perennial playoff missers, and teams without superstar players. At this point last season, the Blazers were breaking into the top 10 in the power rankings. Having now lost five games in a row and eight of their last nine, Portland has been unable to take advantage of this home-heavy stretch of games despite their early-season success at home. 

Portland has had the toughest strength of schedule of any team thus far but has the 22nd-strongest remaining strength of schedule. This may prove paramount for the Blazers, as a run is needed sooner than later to climb out of play-in cusp territory and back into playoff contention. Despite the recent slide, Portland still sits just three and a half games back from the sixth seed in the West.

Injuries have further complicated things for Portland. In the midst of Damian Lillard’s five-game absence managing an abdominal injury, CJ McCollum suffered what was originally thought to be bruised ribs, but was re-evaluated and found to be a collapsed right lung. There is currently no timetable for his return, but other players who have suffered similar injuries, such as Gerald Wallace in the 2018-19 season and Terrence Jones in the 2014-15 season, have missed about six or seven games. Lillard returned to the lineup from injury against the Timberwolves on Dec. 12 and said after the game that he felt “significantly better” physically than he had in a long time.

After piecing together some unexpected starting lineups earlier in the week out of necessity due to injury, coach Billups opted to start Larry Nance Jr. at forward against the Timberwolves in Dame’s return with Robert Covington coming off the bench. The box score would indicate that this move helped spark some valuable production from the two forwards, as Nance Jr. was able to grab 12 rebounds and Covington snagged five steals and four blocks in 34 minutes off the bench. Anfernee Simons was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points, but despite these statistical high-points, Portland gave up a fourth quarter lead in the final four minutes of regulation, scoring only seven more points the rest of the way leading to a fifth straight loss.

The Blazers have played only two games since the last iteration of weekly power rankings, and perhaps this is a good thing because with only two losses this week they weren’t able to slide too far down the rankings. After losing to the league-leading Warriors on the road with an injury-depleted lineup and dropping another at home to the Timberwolves, the Trail Blazers come in as low as No. 25 and as high as No. 22 in this week’s power rankings.

Here’s where the Blazers sit in the ninth edition of the weekly power rankings following a short week:

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 24 this week, two spots worse than last week...

Before they got Damian Lillard back, the Blazers lost CJ McCollum to a collapsed lung. And as you might imagine, their offense was bad (92.5 points scored per 100 possessions) in two games without either starting guard.

But their defense (against the Clippers and Warriors) was solid, Norman Powell (55 points over the two games) kept them somewhat afloat, and neither game was a blowout. Lillard returned from a five-game absence on Sunday, with the Blazers shuffling the starting lineup even more by replacing Robert Covington with Larry Nance Jr. Alas, Lillard shot 5-for-17, the lineup was outscored by 13 points in less than eight minutes, and the Blazers blew a seven-point, fourth-quarter lead to Minnesota. They actually closed the game with both Covington and Nance on the floor without a center, a look with which they’ve outscored opponents by 11.4 points per 100 possessions (in 98 total minutes).

Having lost eight of their last nine games, the Blazers have seemingly spiraled out of the playoff picture. But they’ve played the league’s toughest schedule, they’re essentially tied with the 10th-place Kings, and the two teams occupying the top two West Play-In Tournament spots — Dallas and Denver — aren’t exactly taking care of business. Still, trade-scenarios aside, if the Blazers want to remain competitive, they need to find their footing soon. Their schedule remains home-heavy for another four weeks, but nine of their next 12 games are against teams currently over .500.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Spurs at No. 23 and ahead of the Rockets at No. 25.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, one spot worse than last week...

Damian Lillard missed five straight games due to a lower abdominal injury before returning on Sunday. The Blazers desperately needed him after losing CJ McCollum indefinitely with a collapsed lung. Portland's season has been a mess so far, but a healthier Lillard could soon surpass a Hall of Famer on the all-time 3-pointers list: After Sunday, he is 35 3s away from eclipsing Paul Pierce for ninth place.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 21 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 23.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, one spot worse than last week...

Remember when Dame Time was a thing with the Portland Trail Blazers? They’ve sorely missed Damian Lillard dominating the end of games and dragging them to clutch victories. The Blazers have been pretty mediocre in clutch situations, and they’ve been just terrible in the second half most nights. They’re a bottom-10 team in the second half this season, and it just speaks to how off everything in Portland has seemed. The good news is it doesn’t seem to be driving Lillard out of there any time soon. But the bad news is the Blazers continue to just kick games away with a lack of execution. Until Dame becomes a superhero again, I don’t really see a solution for them outside of “stop being so awful at defense.”

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Timberwolves at No. 22 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 24.

• Michael Shapiro at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 25 this week, two spots worse than last week...

Damian Lillard restating his commitment to the Blazers likely provides comfort in the short term, though even a complete quelling of trade rumors will leave some anxiety in Portland. Lillard is now 31 and in the midst of his worst shooting stretch in recent memory. He’s one of the smallest offensive engines in the game, and even at his peak, Portland wasn’t necessarily a championship contender. Paying Lillard more than $50 million in his age-35 and age-36 seasons is frankly the cost of doing business for established stars. But such a move could very well make Lillard’s contract a serious albatross by the middle of the next decade.

Shapiro has the Trail Blazers behind the Kings at No. 24 and ahead of the Rockets at No. 26.

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:

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, four spots worse than last week...

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.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 21 this week, six spots worse than last week...

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.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 22 this week, eight spots worse than last week...

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.

• Chris Herring at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 23 this week, six spots worse than last week...

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.

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:

• John Schuhmann at NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 18 this week, two spots worse than last week...

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.

• The panel of voters at ESPN has the Trail Blazers at No. 15 this week, two spots better than last week...

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.

• Zach Harper at The Athletic has the Trail Blazers at No. 14 this week, two spots worse than last week...

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.

• Howard Beck at Sports Illustrated has the Trail Blazers at No. 17 this week, two spots worse than last week...

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.