The Portland Trail Blazers' active two-game winning streak came at the perfect time. They now find themselves just three games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the ten-seed and a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Portland should go for it at this point, as losing wouldn't significantly alter their lottery odds.
But they are running out of time to gain ground. With just 13 games left to play, their margin for error is extremely thin. The Blazers may have turned around their season too little too late, but there is one factor working in their favor.
Suns have highest remaining strength of schedule
The remaining teams Phoenix has left to play this season have a win percentage of .616. That is the most difficult remaining schedule strength by a significant margin. They have to play the top teams in the league, including the Thunder, Celtics (twice), Cavaliers, and Warriors.
It's not all gravy, as Portland is seventh at .542. But Portland recently defeated the Raptors and Wizards, two teams that made extremely questionable lineup decisions to the point where you wonder if they even wanted to win the game.
They could benefit from playing other teams like that towards the end of the season, with a stretch against Toronto, Chicago, San Antonio, and Utah. Another thing to watch is their last two games against the Warriors and Lakers, as the teams could potentially sit key players if their playoff seed is already set.
Unfortunately, it may not matter if the Blazers catch up to the Suns. Given the recent developments surrounding Anthony Davis, the Mavericks have suddenly emerged as the team they need to watch out for.
Anthony Davis' potential return threatens Blazers' chances
The Mavericks' season is exactly what a GM should not be doing (unless there is an ulterior motive we don't know about). Luka Doncic has propelled the Lakers to become legitimate threats to come out of the West, and Quentin Grimes is thriving in his new role in Philadelphia, coming off a 46-point performance.
Dallas specifically blew up their roster in an attempt to win, yet they find themselves scrambling to make the Play-In Tournament. To somehow make matters even worse, there's been talk of them potentially having to forfeit games due to injuries and NBA salary cap rules.
Besides a headstart in the standings, the one other thing the Mavericks have working in their favor is Davis' injury status. AD has played just 0.75 games for Dallas before exiting with a left adductor strain. There were talks of shutting him down for the remainder of the season.
However, Davis is reportedly 'very eager' to return, according to NBA insider Marc Stein. Davis has been assigned to the G League Texas Legends to get five-on-five work in as he continues to ramp up for a potential return.
Stein also notes that whether Davis does return this season remains to be seen. But, assuming he does come back, catching up to Dallas in the standings will be much more challenging.