Trail Blazers aim for elusive fifth-straight victory: Morning Blazer

The Trail Blazers have won four straight and six of their last seven. Can they get a fifth consecutive win against the tough but wounded Minnesota Timberwolves?

The Trail Blazers will face the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday seeking to win a fifth-straight game for the first time this season.

A couple of factors come into play to help the Blazers in this quest.

First, the Blazers (35-26; sixth in the Western Conference) are gelling at the right time. The team is getting contributions from up and down the lineup, and Damian Lillard is simply playing out of his mind.

Second, the Timberwolves (38-26; third in the Western Conference) will be without All-Star Jimmy Butler, who will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a surgically repaired meniscus.

Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers

This will be the Trail Blazers’ second opportunity this season to win five straight. The last time they entered a game having won four in a row (Feb. 2), they were manhandled in Toronto by the Raptors, 130-105. (The Raptors scored more points that game than any of the Blazers’ opponents this season.)

I expect Thursday’s game against Minnesota to have a different outcome. (By the way, Evan Turner is apparently nursing an injured toe; the injury report says he should be available against the Timberwolves Thursday, however.)

This will be the final meeting between Portland and Minnesota, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Portland has 21 games left to play. And the Western Conference is as competitive and tightly packed as it has ever been.

Just 1.5 games separates the sixth-seeded Trail Blazers from the third spot, currently occupied by the Timberwolves. And just four games separates them from the Utah Jazz — and falling out of the playoffs completely.

So the margin for error is exceedingly slim — and growing slimmer by the day. Portland desperately wants to carve a place for itself among the top three or four teams in the Western Conference.

The Timberwolves have taken two out of three from the Blazers so far this season. Portland needs a win tonight to even the series and to continue its climb up the standings.

Week Ahead for the Trail Blazers

After Thursday’s tilt against the Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Moda Center for a Saturday night showdown.

OKC is currently seventh in the West — and just as desperate as Portland to move up in the standings. The Blazers have won both games between the two teams this season. They’ll play again for the fourth and final time on March 25 in Oklahoma City.

Next: Blazers need to stay consistent for chance at playoffs

The opponents get a little easier after the OKC game. The Blazers will take on the Lakers in Los Angeles on Monday, followed the next night by a home game against the New York Knicks.