After soaring ahead eight spots last week, the Portland Trail Blazers remained earthbound in the latest batch of power rankings from NBA.com’s John Schuhmann. The Blazers went 1-2 during the week, bringing
their overall record to 5-4 and prompting Schuhmann to keep them at No. 14 in the rankings.
Portland’s lone win of the week came in a dramatic comeback over the shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. That performance was bookended by competitive losses against the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. In one of Schuhmann’s three takeaways about the Blazers, he noted they’ve had a flair for crunch-time contests lately.
The Blazers erased two double-digit deficits in Miami on Saturday, but couldn’t get the stops they needed down the stretch. Each of their last five games has been within five points in the last five minutes, and they’ve allowed 48 points on 41 clutch possessions over that stretch.
Schuhmann uses another takeaway to highlight the excellency of Blazers forward Deni Avdija and his booming free throw rate.
Deni Avdija averaged 30.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists over the three games last week, shooting 31-for-34 (91%) from the line. He’s seen jumps in free-throw rate in each of the last five seasons, from just 14 attempts per 100 shots from the field as a rookie in 2020-21 to 49 per 100 this season.
Portland’s ranking at No. 14 puts the team just ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers (6-4) at No. 15 and just behind the Chicago Bulls (6-3) at No. 13. The Blazers have a chance to restart their upward trajectory with a road matchup against the Orlando Magic tonight. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. Pacific.
