Two wins against Houston and a win at San Antonio during the 5-game win streak are something of note for this injury-plagued team. Deni averaged 31.4 points and 7.6 assists during the streak. He’s doing just about everything he can on the court, and the association is taking notice. The biggest improvement we’ve had so far in 2026 is our free-throw shooting. Unsure if Tiago has been reading my column, but something has changed. Since the New Year, the Blazers have shot 115/135, which is 85% and leads the league over that stretch. If we can continue this trend, it’ll help us in late-game scenarios and give us a shot at moving up in the standings. As much as this week ended on a low note, especially the way the Knicks game ended, the team is on a high, and hopefully, we can keep it rolling through the rest of January.
Game #37 - 1/5 vs Utah (117-137 W)
Three’s a streak! The smattering of the Jazz will be remembered for a while, especially when seven players scored in double digits. Deni led the way with a 33/8/9 stat line, while having 22 points by the half. Shaedon was the only other Blazer to score more than 20, notching 29 on 11/19 shooting, making 5 threes, dishing out 7 assists, and collecting 5 rebounds. It’s great to see him play a more complete game, on top of his lob dunks, which came a plenty tonight. He’s taken the step we’ve needed from him, not only to prove that he can grow, but to show he’s the guy we thought he’d be. Shaedon is a human highlight reel in the air, which is why we took him with the 7th overall pick. Injuries have forced him to become more reliable, and he seems to have risen to the occasion. Coming off a grueling game against San Antonio, this was a welcome treat: a 21-point halftime lead. Once Walker Kessler got injured a few weeks into the season, this Utah team was trying to be slightly competitive. Lauri Markkanen, missing 10 games, hasn’t helped either. But they are bound for the lottery again, and another season wasted with real talent. Maybe Danny Ainge can turn things around as he did with the Celtics, but the odds are low if recent history has taught us anything. Blazers used this game as a stopgap between the Spurs and back-to-back home games against the Rockets. Looking forward to seeing this momentum continue against high competition.
Game #38 - 1/7 vs Houston (102-103 W)
Boy oh boy. What a finish to a game. Deni’s 41 points, alongside four others scoring double-digit points, were enough to get us past the combined 61 points from Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson. Although we briefly led by 11 near the end of the second quarter, Houston quickly scored at the start of the second half, keeping it within 7 points for the rest of the game. The officiating was, to say the least, notable, as there were a few calls both teams were frustrated by. None more than the foul Toumani “committed” on Durant with 1:09 left in the game. In classic fashion, the NBA reported during the postgame review that the foul was incorrectly called. Yes, it was his fifth foul at the time, but it would’ve changed the final minute as Toumani ended up fouling out 30 seconds later. Overall, the gameplan of letting Durant and Amen beat you but not letting anyone else is a decent strategy. Those two, plus Alperen Sengun when he’s on the floor, will get their buckets every night, so all you can do is slow them down. You can’t stop them. But limiting the likes of Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr, and Reed Sheppard is the goal. If you can stop the “others,” you can stop them from winning. We have a few “wins of note” this season, and tonight is definitely one of them. If we can repeat this kind of performance on Friday, it’s going to truly feel like this team has made a turn for the better.
Game #39 - 1/9 vs Houston (105-111 W)
Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Back-to-back wins against one of the favorites in the West is massive. Yeah, Alperen Sengun was out for a second straight game, but a whole hand’s worth of wins, whilst being undefeated in 2026, is a massive accomplishment for this squad. A tightly contested game for roughly 85% of the game only saw Houston take a 13-point lead on an 18-5 run to end the third quarter. Once again, the third quarter is killing us. But fortunately, we opened Q4 on an 11-0 run over their first 3:00 of play. On Deni’s second free throw with 3:10 left in the game, we took the lead and never relinquished it. During that final 3:10, we went 9/9 from the free-throw line, which is a huge step in the right direction for this team that is averaging about 77% from the line. Not only that, we gave up only a single turnover and committed no fouls. Tiago is getting these guys to play tough when it matters. Something that seemed inconceivable when he was made Head Coach after opening night. He clearly is making the right decisions and growing as a coach alongside this team. Toumani led the way with 25 points, followed by Deni and Shaedon, both scoring 20, and Caleb scoring 18. We were able to limit both Durant and Amen from going nuclear again, allowing them to score 30 and 24, respectively. On top of that, Portland defended the three-ball well for a second straight game, allowing the Rockets to make just 22% Wednesday and 23% tonight. If we can keep this kind of defense, we’ll be right in the thick of the Western Conference soon.
Game #40 - 1/11 vs New York (123-114 L)
All good things eventually come to an end. And tonight was a night where the luck of a New Year’s run just ran out. A late-game 11-0 run by the Knicks was the difference in this one. During that run from 4:27 to 2:43 left in the fourth quarter, the Blazers coughed up three turnovers and surrendered three 3s and a steal leading to a layup. Basketball is a funny sport. One minute, you’re neck-and-neck in a game, the next you’re down 11 at home against a team you really maybe should’ve beaten. From that point on, the Knicks did what they do, smothering teams willing to let them back into the game. Each of the Knicks’ starters scored 18+ points, with their captain, Jalen Brunson, leading the way with 26. Deni led the Blazers in scoring, notching 25 points, with Shaedon and Caleb contributing 23 and 21 points. Tonight, we finally got Jrue Holiday back. He was on a minutes restriction, only playing for 16 minutes and scoring 8 points. But his presence is massive for this team. We’ve been able to have the likes of Sidy Cissoko, Caleb, and Rayan Rupert get real playing minutes, which means they should be able to slide back into reserve roles knowing that if they’re hot, they’ll stay on the court. Once we get Jerami Grant back, we’ll have the majority of the team who started the season healthy back on the floor. This loss was a bummer, but we got one step closer to being a healthier unit, which is more important for the season as a whole.
Pinwheel of the Week
Unsurprisingly, Deni is back as our POW. On top of leading the team in scoring, he’s currently 3rd in clutch-time points and leads the league in clutch assists. This man is doing everything possible when he’s on the court, and it’s not just showing up in the box score, but it’s showing up in the locker room and off the court. There’s a reason he’s doing well in All-Star voting — he’s showing the league why he’s a foundational piece to the only team in the Pacific Northwest.
Record: 3-1 (19-21)
Week 13 Games: Tue 1/13 @ Golden State, Thu 1/15 vs Atlanta, Sat 1/17 vs LA Lakers, Sun 1/18 @ Sacramento