Blazers Get Power Rankings Update After Long Road Trip

The Portland Trail Blazers are back in the win column after a 131-111 victory against the Indiana Pacers inside the Moda Center.

The win puts the Blazers at 4-5 since the All-Star break, which is keeping them level compared to their competitors in the Western Conference. Power rankings across the internet also saw very little change with the Blazers after an up-and-down week.

NBA.com, John Schuhmann (20, no change)

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is fouled by Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

"After missing (essentially) seven games, Deni Avdija was back in the Blazers’ lineup on Sunday, when they also got a season-high 28 points from Scoot Henderson in a 20-point win over the Pacers," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Blazers scored less than a point per possession (without Avdija) in a 16-point loss in Charlotte nine days ago, and they’ll complete the season series at the Moda Center on Tuesday."

The Athletic, Law Murray (20, no change)

"A good week for Portland, in that it won the games it was supposed to while being unable to upset the Rockets," Murray wrote.

"The Trail Blazers weren’t very good in the third quarter of the season, and turnovers were the primary culprit. They’re also in a situation where 35-year-old Jrue Holiday has to do as much as he does. Holiday led the team with 3.2 turnovers per game in the third quarter of the season."

Clutch Points, Brett Siegel (20, up 1)

"The Portland Trail Blazers will be a play-in team in the Western Conference this season. Whether they can rise from the 10-seed and pass either LA or Golden State is the question at large," Siegel wrote.

"This has been an up-and-down year for the Blazers, but they aren't a bad team by any means. Their offensive inconsistencies and injuries have pushed them below .500, but Portland can be a tough matchup at times for teams, especially with Donovan Clingan emerging as one of the league's best double-double and rim-protecting threats."

Overview

Until the Blazers start winning games more consistently, they will remain in this spot, teetering between the middle third and bottom third of the league. A lot of that has to do with the health of Deni Avdija, who returned to the lineup after missing two weeks with a back injury.

Avdija scored 18 points in 25 minutes of action during the Blazers' latest win, which is a good sign that he could return to form going into the final couple of weeks in the season. The Blazers are a much different team when Avdija is on the court, and that has been evidenced in the last couple of games when the Blazers were on the road.

While the Blazers pulled out wins against lottery-bound teams in the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls, it was clear that Portland was incomplete when they played against the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks, both of whom are also Play-In Tournament teams on the Eastern Conference side.

The game against the Houston Rockets could have gone in the Blazers' favor, but tired legs going into the fourth quarter in the final game of a long road trip were revealed, resulting in a tough defeat for Portland.

Moving forward, the Blazers have to stack wins to try and move up in the standings in hopes of increasing their chances of advancing out of the Play-In Tournament next month.