Following a 117-105 loss to the Raptors in Toronto on Jan. 8, the Portland Trail Blazers dropped under .500 for the first time this season. The loss also moved the Blazers’ losing streak to three games (now four) and, at the time, into 10th place in the Western Conference standings.
But Portland has a potential respite and source of optimism approaching with 10 of its next 11 games coming at home. If the Blazers are able to rip off some wins in their own arena, they could make a jump back toward the middle of the pack in the west.
Things did not get off to a great start on the homestand as the Blazers’ season-long issues with turnovers and bench production (or lack thereof) came back to bite them in the loss to Orlando. Still, the opportunity for a rise in the standings remains in front of them.
But if they don’t seize it, the Blazers will likely dig themselves a hole they won’t be able to crawl out of.
The Portland Trail Blazers have 10 games to save their season
The loss to the Magic put Portland at 19-21 on the year and dropped the Blazers to 11th in the west, on the outside looking in at any kind of postseason.
Now is the time to swing the momentum in the other direction, though, and Portland has a decent chance to make that happen.
The Blazers’ next game comes against the Cleveland Cavaliers (Jan. 12) before they host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on back-to-back nights (Jan. 14 and 15). Portland’s last road game of January then comes in Denver against the Nuggets on Jan. 17, which is followed by another home tilt, this time against the Philadelphia 76ers.
But the critical stretch begins three nights later when the Blazers host the Los Angeles Lakers and then the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. Those are three must-win games against teams near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. If the Blazers can’t pick up a ‘W’ in each of them, the chances of a successful homestand are in serious jeopardy.
Portland closes out the month by hosting the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors, two more teams that are struggling at the moment.
To sum it all up: This homestand is a tale of two halves. The Blazers take on five teams expected to be hanging around in May but follow that with five straight against teams in the bottom half of their respective conference standings.
Making assumptions can be dangerous. But if Portland can go 6-4 over its next 10 games which, considering the competition in the final five contests seems doable, the Blazers will at least get back to .500 with 32 games left in the season.
As of Jan. 12, only six teams in the west are above that mark. Entering February at 29-29 should give Portland a real chance at a playoff spot and every opportunity to keep hold of it.
On the flip side, if the Blazers struggle and finish the month a few games under .500, the final nine weeks of the season will entail an entirely different conversation. This year’s trade deadline is Feb. 9; if Portland is still stumbling three weeks from now, general manager Joe Cronin will likely be looking to offload some assets.
(By the way, the franchise has zero picks in the 2023 draft right now, according to Fanspo).
So there it is. The Blazers have 10 games to decide where this season is going to go – have a successful homestand and prepare for the postseason or continue to struggle and get ready for another offseason full of questions and, unfortunately, some more uncomfortable Dame trade rumors.