PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers have been able to win their past three games without star guard CJ McCollum, thanks to increased production from Damian Lillard and Seth Curry.
The next status update on McCollum's injured left knee will come sometime Monday, before the team hosts the Brooklyn Nets at the Moda Center.
Lillard has been fantastic since McCollum's injury, averaging 30.3 points and 12.0 assists, while shooting 54 percent from the field and 52 percent from the 3-point line in wins against the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons.
Curry has played heavy minutes off the bench since McCollum was hurt, averaging 15.7 points in 28.3 minutes, while making half of his five 3-point attempts per game.
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Blazers head coach Terry Stotts said the team is relying more on Curry with McCollum out of the lineup.
"I think he's been more aggressive with CJ out," Stotts said after Saturday's 117-112 win against the Pistons. "He had a good rhythm to the game, playing off the dribble, jumpshots. ... With CJ out, having a guy like Seth who can do what he does is something we need."
After Curry scored 20 points in the Blazers' 126-118 win against the Mavericks, Lillard said he expects this kind of production from Curry.
"He was just being himself," Lillard said. "He was coming off screens, hitting shots, transition, [dribble handoffs], one dribble in the middle, floaters and pull-up jumpers. I think the way he did it, I think it'll work for us going forward regardless of who's healthy or who's not."
It's a small sample size, but when Stotts has extended Curry's minutes this season, he's played well. That could bode well for Portland if McCollum misses more time than expected. In the four games Curry has played 28 minutes or more this season, he's averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 55 percent from the field and 48 percent from the 3-point line.
Curry has proven he can handle an increased workload in the past. His best season was 2016-17 when he started 42 games and averaged 29 minutes for the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists that season, and shot 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from the 3-point line.
Here's a look at how the Blazers fared in the latest batch of power rankings:
NBA.com: Blazers rank No. 6 (up 1)
What they wrote: The Blazers have remained above the No. 5-8 fray in the West by going 3-0 without C.J. McCollum last week. And even though two of the opponents had better-than-average defenses, they scored almost 120 points per 100 possessions over the three games, with Damian Lillard averaging 30.3 points (shooting 14-for-25 on pull-up 3-pointers) and 12.0 assists. Jake Layman has started in McCollum's place, but Seth Curry has been the team's second leading scorer (15.7 points per game) over the three games, playing more than 25 minutes for just the third, fourth and fifth times this season. Curry has shot 49 percent on catch-and-shoot threes (the best mark among players who have attempted at least 100) and the Blazers are 17-3 (with 10 straight wins) when he's played 20 minutes or more. They have the West's best record (21-5) against the East and their win over Detroit on Saturday began a stretch of five straight games against the opposite conference. — John Schuhmann
ESPN: Blazers rank No. 7 (no change)
What they wrote: The next update on injured Blazers guard CJ McCollum is expected Monday before they play the visiting Nets. McCollum has missed three games with a muscle strain in his left knee, but the Blazers won each of those contests by way of committee. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is averaging 21.3 points. 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists. — Marc Spears
Sports Illustrated: Blazers rank No. 7 (up 2)
Editor's note: The theme of this week's power rankings is what "should excite you most [about every team] as the season winds down."
What they wrote: Dame being clutch.
With two games against Denver still on tap and six of the other eight games coming against teams below .500, the Trail Blazers could still make a run for the two seed (Editor's note: The Blazers are four games behind the second-place Denver Nuggets). But even just moving up to the three and creating the possibility of facing Denver or the seven seed in the second round would be a big bonus.
But after what happened last season as the three seed, let’s not make the only concern here the postseason.
Instead, we should enjoy watching Damian Lillard do what he does best and deliver in the final moments of games in a way only he can. If Portland is going to make a deep run in the playoffs, Dame will likely need to go off. And with CJ McCollum still dealing with a knee injury, even more falls on Lillard’s shoulders than previously expected for the time being.
Jusuf Nurkic has been a constant in the middle and the addition of Enes Kanter has meant the bench got an additional jolt of scoring it could really use. But this will all fall on Lillard, even when CJ gets back.
So for every moment Dame Dolla cashes in in the clutch, celebrate and enjoy as if it will never happen again.
Every season can’t end as positively as those involved would hope, and after experiencing that last season, the Blazers can only hope to be loose enough this April that they enjoy the moment even if it ends in another early exit. But whatever successes do come from this season, they will likely involve No. 0 hitting an absurd shot like this to make them happen. — Khadrice Rollins
CBS Sports: Blazers rank No. 7 (no change)
Editor's note: The theme of this week's power rankings is taking "the temperature of every team in the NBA with the playoffs just around the corner."
What they wrote: Temperature: Hot like a comfortable bath. The Blazers have won six of their last seven, with the only loss coming in San Antonio, where it's close to impossible to win these days. They better stay hot; while the 3-seed is very much in play — the Blazers are in fourth, a game back of the Rockets — so is the 8-seed, as only three games separate the Blazers and the eighth-place Spurs. — Reid Forgrave
The Athletic: Blazers rank No. 7 (up 1)
Editor's note: The theme of this week's power rankings is trying "to be as fair as possible with each team in putting a good and a bad thing for each team."
WHAT THEY WROTE
Something bad: The CJ McCollum injury sucks and it comes at a terrible time. The Trail Blazers are battling for home-court advantage in the first round. Not having McCollum to help them score definitely hinders what Portland loves to do. Luckily, the injury wasn’t as serious as it was originally feared to be, but he still needs to get back on the court, get comfortable, and get back up to speed with what he does. The Blazers need to get past the first round and doing that might require home-court advantage. Also, it will require them clicking on all cylinders. That’s where CJ as a secondary weapon just means so much.
Something good: Their offense is something great. The Blazers are up to fourth in the NBA in offensive rating, sitting behind only Golden State, Houston, and Milwaukee on the season. Portland is one of the few teams in the NBA that likes to crash the offensive boards. Jusuf Nurkic has been great at it, and the Blazers are really good at scrambling to open spots for second-chance points. This feels like the best offense we’ve seen from the Blazers in the Damian Lillard era. They just need it to translate to the postseason. — Zach Harper
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.