The Blazers beat the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday 122-109 Sunday to extend their winning streak to 13 games. Just how long will this magical ride last?
When the Portland Trail Blazers (44-26; third in the Western Conference) smoked the Clippers (37-32; 10th in the West) Sunday in Los Angeles, it was a clear sign that the emerging bad boys from Rip City have separated themselves from most of the rest of the conference.
Gone are the days when Portland struggled to protect a lead and close out games.
Gone are the days when Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were forced to carry all the weight of the team’s offense.
Now the Blazers are getting contributions from throughout the lineup. They’ve truly become a team.
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Also gone, apparently:
- The head-scratching disappearing act of Maurice Harkless.
- The rally-killing non-offense from Evan Turner (his plus-minus the last 10 games is +2.3, much improved from his season average).
- Jusuf Nurkic’s lack of reliability.
In fact, as we reported here, Nurkic has been great during the team’s 13-game win streak. And he appears to be rounding into the player we always thought he’d be.
"Across the win streak, (Nurkic) averages 14.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks on 52.8% shooting. Those stats are noticeably higher than his season averages. … The defense is still there as well; Nurkic holds opponents to 55.8% shooting at the rim and has an individual defensive rating of 101.8, eighth-best in the league."
Blazers Rockin’
Aside from individual improvement, the Blazers are quickly climbing the NBA charts in a wide range of other statistical categories.
Portland is one of the league’s best rebounding teams. They don’t turn the ball over much. They block a decent amount of shots.
More: The Blazers are third in free throw percentage. Third in three-point percentage. They’re one of the league’s best defenses. And of course, they have the longest current winning streak in the NBA.
Can The Blazers Keep Rollin’?
The Houston Rockets (56-14; first in the Western Conference) have pretty much been rollin’ all season long. They’ve won five in a row and nine of their last 10. They have the likely league MVP in James Harden, who’s averaging 31 points, 8.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. And, lest we forget, they also have Chris Paul and Eric Gordon.
Next: Jusuf Nurkic discusses free agency, playoffs with HoopsHype
Houston beat Portland in their two previous meetings this season. Harkless and Nurkic missed that first meeting; Harden missed the second.
Tuesday night’s game will be at the Moda Center, where the Blazers have been almost unbeatable lately. The Blazers and Rockets will meet once more this season (April 5 in Houston).
Tip-off at the Moda Tuesday is set for 7:30 p.m. PDT. Should be awesome.
Go Blazers!