With the NBA Cup bracket portion of the tournament concluding during Week 8, I combined this post with Week 9 since there wasn’t much happening. Discussing two games would’ve been a bit sad. Right? Well, how about four games that resulted in just one win? The one win was pretty sick, though, especially coming against the Nuggets. Lots to think about when it comes to this roster, with the trade deadline roughly 7 weeks away. Hopefully, we can keep the young core and get more youth + draft picks from any trades. Who knows what Jody Allen will do, hopefully, sell the team to give us some actual direction. (That’s a topic for a new day).
Game #25 - 12/13 @ San Antonio (118-116 L)
What an utter disappointment. A substantial Q4 lead of 105-88 with 8:18 left, only for the Spurs to go on an 11-0 run spanning 3 minutes. We scored a whopping 11 points in the final 5:10 to lose by two measly points. This team is… something. I would love to believe they can hold their own in the 4th Quarter (because we’ve seen it happen), but they disappoint at new levels with this one. Unsure what it was this time, but the loss to a solid San Antonio team is a bummer. Yeah, it helps the tanking odds, but winning this game would’ve felt nice. Jerami was COOKING from deep, though, which was terrific. And a Jabari start to give the young guy some confidence (as a CU Buff fan) had to be a boost.
Game #26 - 12/15 @ Phoenix (116-109 L)
An above-average Q3 gave us hope for a brief moment. Otherwise, the Suns constantly controlled this game. Nothing truly stood out for the Blazers during this game besides being outmatched by a team that should’ve won by 15+. Somehow, we only lost by 7. Jerami must think, “Get me out of here and on a contender.” He’s putting up solid numbers and looking the part, but he must just be “going through the motions.” He, Anfernee, and Time Lord are the most likely candidates to be moved during the trade deadline. If this team doesn’t look wildly different at the end of the season, then it’s a loss. At this point, the roster/coaching staff/ownership/really everything needs to change. Bottom of the barrel for the third straight year is frustrating, but I guess the lack of expectation is better than failing to meet a standard.
Game #27 - 12/19 vs Denver (126-124 W)
WELCOME TO THE ANFERNO!! What a performance Ant made on the floater to sink the Nuggets. After a handful of underwhelming performances from this squad, it was refreshing to see them beat a declining team like Denver. I don’t know exactly what’s happening with them, but they are NOT the same team that won the NBA Finals in 2023. Jokic is doing everything possible to win games, but you can’t have someone like him do 120% of things and expect to win. The Blazers have some grit when they want to instill it and have good enough players to win some of these games. It’s being able to put it all together to win. And it was clear that happened tonight. I would love to see this as a launching-off point for the team as they progress into the middle of the season. But sadly, we know what will happen: many more losses than wins.
Game #28 - 12/21 @ San Antonio (114-94 L)
Whomp whomp… What a bummer of a loss (again) to the Spurs. Nothing really to report from this game other than it being a letdown of a game after a thrilling game-winner from Anfernee. Wemby had 30 points and 10 rebounds to cap off a dominant performance. Shaedon is continuing to look exceptional, so that’s good. But this Blazer roster is so hot and cold. It’s insane to believe they can win games consistently when they have good performances and follow it up as if they had nothing really in the tank. This wasn’t even the case of a back-to-back. It was just another game. There's not a lot to think about after this loss than just moving on to the next one.
Record: 1-3 (9-19)
Next Week’s Games: 12/23 @ Dallas, 12/26 vs Utah, 12/28 vs Dallas