The Portland Trail Blazers have come back down to Earth over the past week, losing to the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, and Golden State Warriors.
The Athletic’s Law Murray has consequently dropped the Blazers from 20th to 23rd following the winless week, despite acknowledging the recent tough schedule.
Seeing the Trail Blazers put together winning streaks of six and four (twice) games was quite moving. They improved the offense to about league average while benefiting from teams shooting poorly from 3 to raise the defense to top-10 levels for an extended stretch of the season. Deni Avdija has been a solid addition to the franchise as a 24-year-old who has excellent size for his skill set. Unfortunately, their run appears just about over after hitting a stretch of schedule filled with teams that wasted little time with them.
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The Blazers held somewhat steady in the NBA.com power rankings, sliding from 16th to 17th.