In most discussions about the Western Conference contenders, the Portland Trail Blazers are probably not mentioned that much outside Rip City. However, other teams writing them off could prove disastrous because they are peaking at the right time, as evidenced by their sixth-ranked net rating over the past 10 games.
Per Basketball University, the Blazers have a +10.4 net rating during the said stretch. The only teams ahead are the San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, and Atlanta Hawks.
In the rearview mirror are the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers. The difference between Portland's and those of the other West clubs behind it may not be significant, but the fact that it has kept up with some of the favorites to come out on top of the conference at the end of the playoffs speaks loudly about its capacity to pull off upsets in April and even beyond.
Portland's blazing defense
The primary reason the Blazers have registered a lofty net rating in their past 10 contests is their incredibly tight defense. Over that stretch, their defensive rating is -10.2, 16 points better than the league average and nearly two points stingier than the second-place Thunder.
Some might argue that facing lottery-bound squads recently may have inflated the Blazers' defensive rating. Still, it's an impressive feat to have limited three opponents to fewer than 100 points in their previous six matches. Well, two, technically, because it happened twice with the Brooklyn Nets.
The team's defensive potential has finally been on display, although it has yet to really reach its ceiling in that department.
Anchoring the defense is the ever-improving future star Donovan Clingan, whose rim protection skills have deterred opponents from attacking the paint or forced them into bad shots inside the paint. Toumani Camara has also appeared to have found his rhythm after following up his 2025 All-Defensive Second Team with a disappointing few months to start this campaign. Veterans Jrue Holiday, Robert Williams III, and Matisse Thybulle have been impactful as expected. Blake Wesley deserves credit as well, despite playing limited minutes.
Setting up nicely for a favorable seeding
It remains to be seen if the Blazers' tough defensive performance of late proves sustainable. There's little reason to believe they will experience a significant regression in stopping opponents from getting buckets, although the return of Shaedon Sharpe might require some adjustments to their defensive schemes. The rising swingman's ability to help their middling offense, though, might offset the possible decline in defense his presence could cause.
The good news is that Portland's defensive upswing in the past few weeks has helped set it up to not just lock up a postseason berth but also contend for a favorable position in the play-in tournament.
It currently has a 1.5-game lead over the Golden State Warriors for the No. 9 seed, which would give Rip City homecourt advantage in the first leg of the play-in. Meanwhile, it is just 0.5 games behind the Clippers for the No. 8 seed, and overtaking them would provide it two chances to secure a playoff spot.
And if the Blazers do make it to that stage, whoever they end up facing should be wary about running into an unexpected defensive juggernaut.