3 Takeaways from the Trail Blazers disappointing loss to the Orlando Magic

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Chauncey Billups, Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

3. Portland needs wins and it needs them now

The loss to Orlando was just the first of 10 home games in the Blazers’ next 11. It wasn’t a great start, but Portland still has a chance to make up some ground in the Western Conference standings.

Six of those 11 games are against conference opponents. Three of them are against teams ahead of the Blazers in the standings – two against the Dallas Mavericks and one against the Denver Nuggets. Those games should prove to be an indicator of whether or not this Portland team can improve.

But the Blazers also have three games in four days against the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and San Antonio Spurs. All three of those are winnable contests against teams near or below Portland at the bottom of the west. Going 3-0 in those matchups will be crucial to making a leap in the conference standings.

Coming out of this homestand with a 7-3 or 6-4 record is doable. But if the Blazers can’t make up ground now, it’s hard to see them grabbing anything other than a spot in the play-in game once the postseason rolls around.