The Portland Trail Blazers had an absolutely brutal schedule to start the 2025-26 season. Through December, they had the second hardest strength of schedule in the league, behind only the Sacramento Kings. Portland was looking to build on a strong finish to last season, but a demanding schedule and significant injuries derailed much of that momentum.
Heading into 2026, they had a better roster than their 14-20 record suggested. Now, the pendulum is in balance, as the Blazers have already clinched a spot in the Play-In Tournament with a 37-37 record.
They've feasted on their weak schedule to finish the season, and still have benefits left to reap with the third-easiest remaining strength of schedule, including upcoming matchups against teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings.
New Orleans may be an exception to this because of its questionable draft-day trade with Atlanta, as it no longer has its own 2026 first-round pick. But in general, the Blazers are set to continue benefiting from this frontloaded schedule because they are playing teams at the end of the season who have no incentive to win.
Blazers' brutal early schedule is proving to be a blessing in disguise
By Commissioner Adam Silver's own admission, tanking has become a rampant problem in the NBA. The league has even proposed three anti-tanking concepts, ESPN's Shams Charania recently reported. Each proposal has its flaws, and none seem to address the root of the problem. But in terms of this season, the Blazers are essentially guaranteed free wins at the ideal time.
Portland has blown out Indiana twice, a team that literally needs to keep losing in order to land in the top four in the draft and keep its protected first-round pick. They also blew out Brooklyn twice, with a combined point differential of 54.
Yes, Portland would win the majority of these games regardless, as they are the more talented team. But they wouldn't win all of them.
Currently, they sit 9th in the Western Conference, half a game back from the Los Angeles Clippers and 1.5 games ahead of the injury-riddled Golden State Warriors. The Blazers have already earned their play-in berth, but this is a team with bold aspirations to end a four-year postseason drought. The difference between the eight-, nine-, or ten-seed is drastic in terms of their likelihood of achieving that. The gap between needing to win one game at home and two on the road is wide, meaning Portland's standing in the Western Conference will likely determine whether they reach the playoffs.
There's such a thin margin for error out west. The fact that Portland had a front-loaded schedule not only means they are trending upward at the right time, but also that they could come away with a few games they normally wouldn't have won. Hopefully, that means Portland can ride this momentum to sneak in and steal a final playoff spot. Although they would lose their lottery-protected first-round pick owed to Chicago, this would be a huge step in the right direction for this rebuild.