The Portland Trail Blazers came away from Monday night’s 112-97 win over the Washington Wizards trailing by three games in the race for the Western Conference’s final play-in berth with 13 games remaining.
The task ahead is challenging but doable, provided the Blazers start picking up victories over winning teams.
Guard Anfernee Simons, when told that the Blazers haven’t defeated a winning team since Feb. 6 (Sacramento), responded: “For real?”
Yes, for real. The Blazers are 0-10 against winning teams since defeating the Kings 108-102. This includes a five-game losing streak leading up to Sunday’s win over Toronto (24-45), followed by Monday night’s defeat of Washington (15-52).
That’s a problem. The Blazers' next seven opponents have winning records. Portland concludes its seven-game homestand with Memphis (43-26), at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Denver (44-25), Boston (49-19) and Cleveland (56-11).
Portland is 1-6 against that group. The Blazers defeated Denver 126-124 at home on Dec. 19.
“Like I’ve said before, we’ve got our work to do,” Simons said. “We got to continue to string together some wins and put ourselves in the best position to be there. Whether it’s going against Memphis, Cleveland or Boston, we’ve got to go through them to get what we want.”
The 12th-place Blazers (30-39) trail 10th-place Dallas (33-36) by three games. But the real race could be with 11th-place Phoenix (32-37), which leads the Blazers by two games and trails Dallas by one.
The Mavericks have been in free fall since losing star guard Kyrie Irving for the season to a severe knee injury. They’ve lost 10 of their last 12. However, All-Star forward/center Anthony Davis could be nearing a return after missing 14 games with an adductor strain.
Should Davis remain healthy and elevate the Mavericks, they could be difficult to track down. They have the easiest schedule moving forward, while Phoenix has the toughest.
The Mavericks’ remaining opponents have a combined record of 433-433 for a .500 winning percentage.
The Suns' remaining opponents are 533-338, a .612 winning percentage.
The teams on Portland’s remaining schedule are 488-405, a .546 winning percentage.
Washington Wizards v Portland Trail Blazers
Donovan Clingan #23 of the Portland Trail Blazers controls the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Washington Wizards at the Moda Center on March 17, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)Getty Images
Hindering the Blazers' chances are the injuries at the center position. Starter Deandre Ayton (left calf strain) has missed the last 13 games. His return this season is in doubt.
While winning 10 of 11 games from Jan. 19 through Feb. 6, Ayton started eight. The Blazers went 8-0, with Ayton averaging 19.4 points and 11.8 rebounds while shooting 58.6% from the field.
A knee injury has caused backup center Robert Williams III to miss 18 of the last 21 games, including 11 straight. He suited up for Friday’s loss to the New York Knicks but did not play. He then missed the last two games.
Their absence places added pressure on rookie center Donovan Clingan and fourth-string center Duop Reath to get the job done inside.
They’ve done well on some nights against losing teams but have not provided consistent production on most nights against winning teams.
Before the team’s win over the Wizards, Blazers coach Chauncey Billups reiterated his message since the Blazers reaching the play-in became a possibility.
“Don’t worry about the play-in,” he said. “I think that’s a real important piece of that.”
Instead, he wants his Blazers to worry about themselves and the next opponent. Play smart. Do the little things and see what happens.
“You can’t look ahead in this league,” he said. “Especially when you’re young and inexperienced.”
-- Aaron Fentress | afentress@Oregonian.com | @AaronJFentress (Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook)