Best wins for Portland Trail Blazers in first half of season

Defeating the Golden State Warriors was one of Portland’s best wins of the season. But which other victories are up there too?

The Blazers have won 32 of their first 58 games in 2017-2018 – this an eight-game improvement on last year. Which of those 32 were the best for Portland, though?

Opening Night – Phoenix Suns (124-76)

Rip City entered the season with high hopes for the young, exciting team. Those hopes quickly became real as the Blazers pummeled the Suns into the history books. The 48-point margin of victory tied for second-best in franchise history, as well as set a record for largest opening night win ever in the NBA.

Even more impressive? This was all without CJ McCollum, who missed the game due to a cheesy suspension from preseason.

The team demonstrated remarkable chemistry and communication…plus they simply couldn’t miss (49% from the field and 58% from deep). Six players scored in double digits and three recorded a plus/minus of +34 in 30 minutes or less.

The momentum only carried through one more victory for the Blazers though.

They defeated the Indiana Pacers by double-digits, but then lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in controversial fashion.

Nonetheless, beating Phoenix by 48 on opening night set the stage for Portland’s bounce back season.

Jan. 9 – Oklahoma City Thunder (117-106)

One day of rest off a dramatic win over San Antonio, the Blazers travelled to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. For the second straight game, Damian Lillard sat out due to a quad injury.

Like on opening night, Portland’s support players made up for the gap left by one of the two star guards.

Shabazz Napier in particular filled in for Lillard marvelously. He scored 21 points on 5/10 shooting and 9/10 free throws, along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Seven players contributed at least 9 points and the team as a whole shot 53% from the field.

Defensively, Portland made OKC’s main four players do all the work. Besides their combined 79 points, the rest of the team scored just 27.

The win marked yet another three-game win streak. Portland failed to get the elusive fourth straight victory though, losing to the Houston Rockets the next night.

Feb. 14 – Golden State Warriors (123-117)

Earlier in the season, the Blazers lost to the Warriors even with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green out. This time around, Dame made sure it didn’t happen again.

Portland jumped out to a 13-point lead after one quarter. They stayed ahead by double-digits entering halftime, but the stage seemed set for Golden State to make a classic comeback.

As expected, Kevin Durant led the Warriors right back into the game. The defending champions closed the gap to five with one quarter remaining.

But Damian Lillard wasn’t about to let the game slip. He scored 9 of his 44 points in the final few minutes, including clutch free throws that iced the game.

CJ McCollum hit a few big shots down the stretch en route to his 29 points as well. He and Dame combined for a whopping 73 points!

What a way to enter the All-Star break!

But they can achieve more. Ending Utah’s win streak once the break ends would put icing on an already iced cake for Portland.

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So while the Blazers have endured a few crushing defeats, these crucial wins soften the blow.

Beating elite teams like the Warriors shows Portland’s potential when the offense is flowing. The team needs to find the formula for these wins and carry it through the remainder of the season.

With a four or five seed in the West, advancing past the first round is certainly a possibility for the talented squad.