PORTLAND, Ore. — It must be the second half of the season, because the Trail Blazers are playing some of their best basketball of the 2018-19 campaign.
Over the past 25 games, the Blazers are 15-10. That's a 49-win pace.
Over the past 21 games, the Blazers are 13-8. That's a 51-win pace.
Over the past 11 games, the Blazers are 8-3. That's a 60-win pace.
They just keep getting better.
During this impressive 11-game stretch, Portland ranks fifth in offense, fourth in defense and third in net rating. The Blazers have played some easy opponents during this stretch (only fair after playing the hardest schedule in the NBA in the first half of the season), but they also boast victories against the 76ers, Kings, Thunder, Rockets and Pelicans.
The Blazers' offense has really taken off lately. Portland ranks in the Top 10 for the season, but over the past eight games, the Blazers' offense ranks second in the NBA. Only the Warriors have been better.
(Story continues below)
LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE: 3-on-3 Blazers podcast
Listen to the most recent edition of the 3-on-3 Blazers podcast:
- on Apple podcasts
- on Podbean
- on SoundCloud
- on Stitcher
- on Google Play
A team effort is leading the way for the Blazers right now. While Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic continue to carry the load, combining for nearly 60 points per game, others have stepped up.
Over the past 11 games, Al Farouq Aminu is averaging 11.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 46 percent from the field, 41 percent from the 3-point line and 88 percent from the free-throw line.
New fan favorite Jake Layman has been on fire, averaging 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds, while shooting 58 percent from the field, 39 percent from the 3-point line and 89 percent from the free-throw line.
Others, like Evan Turner, Zach Collins, Meyers Leonard and Seth Curry, have also played well.
The Blazers play six more games before the trade deadline. It starts with a three-game road trip that tips off Monday, taking the Blazers to Utah, Oklahoma City and Phoenix; followed by three straight home games against Atlanta, Utah and Miami.
The trade deadline hits around midday on February 7. That night, Portland will welcome the San Antonio Spurs to the Moda Center. Will the roster look different? Will Portland general manager Neil Olshey make a move to improve the roster before then?
We'll find out in a little more than two weeks.
Here's a look at how the Blazers fared in the latest batch of power rankings.
The Athletic: Blazers rank No. 8 (up 2)
What they wrote: Do the Portland Trail Blazers have a case of the Clippers? All season long, I’ve wanted to buy in on the Blazers and keep buying in on them. For the most part, they’ve been pretty successful through 47 games. They hold the 4-seed in the West right now and they’re pretty healthy. But they’ve failed pretty clearly in the playoffs over the last couple years and it doesn’t seem like they’ve made progress in that respect. I keep believing their continuity will elevate them to another level. And I keep feeling a bit frustrated with a ceiling seemingly self-imposed, much like we experienced with the Chris Paul-Blake Griffin-DeAndre Jordan Clippers. Good regular seasons that give way to flameouts in the postseason.
The biggest red flag for me with this Blazers team is they’re just not that good against winning teams. Their 13-15 record against teams .500 or better doesn’t bode well. They make their money (15-4) against losing teams, feasting on that schedule. The good news is they don’t play the level of competition when it’s an inferior opponent. The bad news is they don’t play to the level of competition when it’s a good opponent. Portland needs a jolt in some way, and I’m not sure if that only comes through a trade. Either way, they’ll keep plugging away with regular season wins and pray they get an advantageous match-up in the first round that allows them to avoid Golden State in the second-round. — Zach Harper
NBA.com: Blazers rank No. 9 (no change)
What they wrote: The Blazers have won their last six home games, scoring almost 125 points per 100 possessions at the Moda Center over that stretch. They've shot well, but have also committed fewer than 10 turnovers in four of the six games and registered 20 or more second-chance points in three of the six. Minutes from their reserves have been better of late and, after filling in as a starter, Jake Layman took his hot streak (16 points per game on 68 percent shooting over the last four games) to the bench with Maurice Harkless returning from a five-game absence on Friday, when the Blazers beat the Pelicans by 16 points in a game the starting lineup was a minus-2. They're 4-10 on the road within the Western Conference with an important three-game trip this week. They also play the Jazz twice in the next 10 days, having lost the first two meetings by a total of 51 points. — John Schuhmann
Sports Illustrated: Blazers rank No. 10 (down 4)
What they wrote: Jake Layman is coming off two of his best games of the season, and that’s great timing for the Trail Blazers. With a road back-to-back against the Jazz and Thunder to start this week, Portland will need its bench to come up big, and that means getting 15 or so points from Layman or Nik Stauskas or Zach Collins or Evan Turner or Seth Curry. All of them don’t need to step up at once, but at least one of those four needs to be holding down the second unit, especially during these next two games. — Khadrice Rollins
ESPN: Blazers rank No. 11 (no change)
What they wrote: So why are the Blazers, winners of seven of the past 10 games, suddenly playing so much better? Portland has had the fourth-best defensive rating in the league over the past 10 games. But before you get too excited about the Blazers' D, coach Terry Stotts added that they have been aided by playing teams with poor records, too. Next up for Portland are tough back-to-back road games, starting Monday with Utah and Oklahoma City. — Marc Spears
Jared Cowley writes about the Trail Blazers and other topics for KGW.com. He's also the co-host of the 3-on-3 Blazers podcast (listen here). You can reach him on Twitter @jaredcowley.