The Portland Trail Blazers, once known for their downcast faces after losses, are now celebrating with chest bumps and high fives as they ride a surprising six-game winning streak.
They’ve won six straight games and 10 of their last 11, leading to some early talk about making the playoffs. While playoff hopes might be premature, the team is definitely having fun.
What was expected to be another rebuilding season has turned into something more promising. The Blazers are now 23-29, already surpassing last year’s win total of 21. Though still in 13th place in the Western Conference, they are getting closer to the play-in spots with 30 games left.
“It’s fun, not only with the wins and losses, but the way we’re playing,” said guard Scoot Henderson. “That’s really fun, the way we’re playing together and sticking together.”
The Blazers are just four games behind the eighth-place Dallas Mavericks, with other teams like the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs competing for similar spots.
Their most recent win came Thursday night at home against Sacramento. Anfernee Simons scored 30 points, including eight three-pointers, and the Blazers held on for a 108-102 victory.
The team’s ability to handle pressure and focus in the final moments is new for Portland, as is the improvement in their defense, which has ranked near the top of the league over the past 11 games.
“We know that that’s the way that we’re going to be able to compete with all of these teams,” said coach Chauncey Billups. “We got to be flying around.”
The last time the Blazers won this many games in a row was in the 2017-18 season when they won 13 straight games.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups in the 2nd halfBefore the 2023-24 season, Portland traded star Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks and committed to a rebuilding project. They focused on developing young players like Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. They also added key players like Deni Avdija and draft pick Donovan Clingan, joining veterans Jerami Grant and DeAndre Ayton.
Billups, now in his third season with the team, has worked on developing the younger players and getting them to work as a team.
“We’ve got so many guys contributing and playing well, no longer do guys think about who is getting it done, it’s `Let’s make sure it gets done.’ Nobody’s really caring about who’s scoring the most, who’s closing the game, who’s starting. Nobody’s worried about that. Whatever we say we’re trying to do, let’s just try our best to do it.”
The team’s shift began with a meeting in late December.
“Coach asked us, one by one, if each of us is able to be held accountable. And we all said yes, and from then on, it’s been like that, we’ve been playing together, playing well, and sharing the ball,” Henderson said.
There’s still plenty of season left, and the Blazers’ current hot streak likely won’t last forever. However, there’s a quiet optimism that Portland could break its three-year playoff drought.
Last season, the Blazers lost 15 of their last 17 games, setting their sights on the NBA draft lottery.
General manager Joe Cronin didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline, saying the winning streak wasn’t the reason. He mentioned that no potential trades made sense for the team in the long run.
When asked if setting a playoff goal for the team would be fair, Cronin said, “I think it’d be unfair to take it away from them. I’m so proud and so excited about these guys that the sky’s the limit, like ‘Go guys, go win. Let’s see what you can do.’ And I’m here to support it.”
