The first week of 2025 is in the books, and once again, we had a 1-3 week. Shockingly, there is a lot of positive info to take from this week: Scoot is gaining confidence in his bench role, Deni is doing Deni things, and Ant and Shaedon are crushing it in the starting guard spots. With the trade deadline just under a month away, seeing what the Blazers do will be interesting. Personally, I hope we get rid of AT LEAST two guys. Ayton should not be on this team come Feb 6th. And then I hope we can get some picks for someone like Jerami or Anfernee, maybe even Robert Williams. We are not typically a “trade deadline team,” but crazier things have happened. So let’s hope for crazy.
Game #35 - 1/6 @ Detroit (118-115 L)
What a bummer. Outside of a 21-point lead midway through Q2, this was a close contest, with the Blazers leading most of the game. Ant’s 36-point performance was overshadowed by some late playmaking by Tim Hardaway Jr and Jalen Duren down the stretch. Cade Cunningham, the former #1 pick in the 2021 Draft, posted a 36/6/9 stat line, ultimately being too much for this Blazer defense. This is a tough one to swallow, as it would’ve been nice to continue our momentum after besting the Bucks on Saturday evening. There’s been a shift from losing by a shit ton to losing by single digits. This shift is proof that our team is making the necessary adjustments to improve as a whole.
Game #36 - 1/8 @ New Orleans (119-100 W)
A wire-to-wire victory over a CJ McCollum-led team is a MASSIVE morale boost. The Pelicans are a “what is going on with you” kinda team, and it’s very head-scratching. If you look at the core of their squad, it’s brimming with potential: CJ, Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, Zion, Dejounte Murray, Jose Alvarado, and others coming off the bench. They should have way more than 7 wins. Period. Yet, they will most likely join the Blazers in the Lottery in June. From a Blazer’s perspective, Scoot seems to be accepting his bench role and appears to be doing well as a “tempo changer” to Shaedon and Ant. The starting 5 of Ant, Shaedon, Deni, Tounami, and Ayton (hopefully soon to be Clingan) look solid. The team is young and needs to grow.
Game #37 - 1/9 @ Dallas (117-111 L)
A back-and-forth game that ultimately resulted in a loss for the Blazers. Leading for 92-ish% of the game doesn’t make us feel better about the loss, either. Scoot is showing out and, clearly, feeling more confident in his “coming off the bench” role. Scoring 20 points on 3-7 shooting and TWELVE OF TWELVE from the line is huge! He created a ton of opportunities for himself and was the best guard in a Blazer jersey. Clingan getting a double-double was nice to see, too, as he gets more comfortable in the fast-paced speed of the NBA. The biggest issue was going four minutes in the final 4:30 scoreless. That is not a way to win a game against a Western Conference juggernaut. Tough loss for a young team. Can only hope they learn from it.
Game #38 - 1/11 vs Miami (119-98 L)
Very much the opposite result of the Dallas game, with the opposite result. We trailed for 96% of the game and got smoked in the 4th. With the Jimmy Butler saga closing in Miami, Tyler Herro stepped up in a big way with a 32/5/5 stat line. Ant and Shaedon were the only bright spots during this game, as they had solid outings. But you can’t lose the TO battle while winning the rebound battle and assume it’ll make up for the former. I think every Heat team ever to exist has been feisty; you can’t count them out, even if their best player is being disciplined unnecessarily. The Blazers are beating teams they probably should, losing to teams they’re worse than, and occasionally beating teams they aren’t supposed to. This wasn’t a game I would’ve chalked up as a W, but knowing they aren’t getting blown out as often (minus this game) is great to see.
Record: 1-3 (13-25)
Next Week’s Games: 1/14 vs Brooklyn, 1/16 vs LA Clippers, 1/18 vs Houston, 1/19 vs Chicago