Blazers Happy to Be Home After 'Tough' Road Trip

The Portland Trail Blazers are finally back home after a week-long road trip that saw them win just two of five games.

The Blazers started off on the right foot with a win against the Chicago Bulls, but struggled mightily on a back-to-back against the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks. They were able to recover with a win against the Memphis Grizzlies, but fell late in a loss to the Houston Rockets before returning home.

Blazers acting head coach Tiago Splitter spoke about the road trip and reflected on how the team grew.

"You know, our worst game was the Atlanta one. I think that's the one that we didn't compete in, but we compete tonight. We competed in the last game, and that's what I asked every night: we got to go there and compete, have a chance to win," Splitter said.

Blazers Take Positives and Negatives Away From Road Trip

Portland Trail Blazers guard Matisse Thybulle fouls Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun. | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

It's never easy going out away from home for a while, especially for Western Conference teams heading out east. Blazers forward Jerami Grant spoke about how the team needs to look forward after the trip.

"On the road trip, a little tough, a little rough one for us, but get back home, we got a week, so just get back to it and try to put some wins together," Grant said. "... just win some games, play some defense, some rebounds, just a little bit of everything."

Even though the Blazers struggled at times during the trip, Splitter believes the team has some strong takeaways that it can use in the final 18 games of the season.

"Now we got to go home, take care of those games at home, keep with the same mentality and fight every possession, rebound. I think we did a good job rebounding about today on both hands," Splitter said.

"One of the best offensive rebound teams in the history of basketball is the Rockets, and we did a good job. That's why I think it's a pity, a game like that where everybody was given everything and we just didn't have enough to win the game. "

The Blazers will now play their next three games at home in front of their fans at the Moda Center. The first of those contests comes against the Indiana Pacers, who have the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. PT. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.