Chauncey Billups Praises Defensive 'Masterpiece' vs Magic as Blazers Get Third Straight Win

Portland had a big night — but will it hurt the team long-term?

Jan 21, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups signals from the sideline against the Miami Heat during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are messing up their tank.

Portland is currently a club comprised of ill-fitting parts. The Trail Blazers are stocked with some not-ready-for-primetime players and a surplus of non-star veteran trade chips. The team might be getting a bit too good to maximize its standing in the lottery ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.

But to hear fourth-year head coach Chauncey Billups tell it, the Trail Blazers are coming together at just the right time on the hardwood. Portland has just won its third straight game on Thursday night, a dominant 101-79 upset over an Eastern Conference playoff squad, the 23-22 Orlando Magic.

In postgame comments to gathered reporters, Billups praised his players' defensive acumen — without perhaps the team's best defender, Toumani Camara — in the victory, reports Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

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“Thought it was a masterpiece,” Billups said. “I really did. We locked in. They missed a lot of shots, but I thought it was because of what we did. I thought we sped them up a little bit.”

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The Trail Blazers held the Magic — now playing with both their two best players, forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner — to a paltry 26-of-76 shooting from the floor (6-of-25 from deep), while compelling them into 19 turnovers and scoring 22 points off those turnovers. Portland also massacred Orlando in points in the paint, outscoring the Magic 58-30 in that department.

Portland also led Orlando in blocks, 12-6.

BL🚫CK PARTY IN THE 🚫

Team total of 𝟭𝟮 blocks tonight! pic.twitter.com/4rhDnD96O5

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 24, 2025

So yes, Portland had a big night — but will it hurt the team long-term?

The Trail Blazers' good luck could come to an end on Friday, the second night of a back-to-back slate. Unfortunately for Portland's lottery odds, the team will be facing off against another draft hopeful, the 11-29 Charlotte Hornets. That game tips off at 4 p.m. PT.

With the win, the Trail Blazers improved to a 16-28 record on the year. That's still far from making them a serious threat to crash the West's play-in tournament bracket, as they trail the 22-21 Phoenix Suns by 6.5 games.

But a 16-28 record now sinks them beneath the 15-27 Philadelphia 76ers, giving the Trail Blazers just the eighth-best odds of snagging the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft.

After four straight lottery-bound seasons, it would behoove the team to at least nab a top-four selection. But that may not happen this year if Portland's defense continues to improve.

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