Where do Trail Blazers Land in Fresh NBA Power Rankings?

Courtney Tate|
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Portland Trail Blazers

Over the Christmas holiday, there were lots of headlines centering around the NBA games played this week. There were several games on Christmas Day as well as the following day that had fans on the edges of their seats the entire way. One game in particular was the thrilling matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz.

Portland came out with a huge game-winning buzzer beater by Scoot Henderson who finished the matchup with 18 points and dished out 10 assists.

Utah led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, starting the half out hot connecting on three straight three-pointers to extend the lead. Portland showed their resilience in the fourth quarter cutting into the lead led by players like Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija who both finished the game with 27 points. Deandre Ayton and Scoot Henderson, who came off the bench, contributed a solid 18 points to make this a well-balanced offensive-scoring night for Portland.

This is now the second time in recent matchups Portland has scored on a game winning buzzer. Anfernee Simons recently hit an incredible buzzer beater to defeat the Denver Nuggets.

Despite Portland figuring out ways to keep fans entertained and put together some solid wins, they still sit in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-20.

The NBA Power Rankings by Bleacher Report recently had the Blazers listed at No. 25, and they made no adjustments in the latest NBA Power Rankings, as they still sit in the 25th spot.

Sitting ahead of them at No. 24 are the Brooklyn Nets with a record of 12-18. According to Bleacher Report, the Blazers are “going to end up with the worst record in the Western Conference”, but still have some time to make positive strides and work on some problem areas as the season continues.

Even though Portland hasn’t climbed the NBA Power Rankings yet, both Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson needed those big-time moments to be used as confidence boosters as the season goes on. Henderson has struggled offensively since being drafted as the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Henderson also believes in his team’s abilities, after making a bold statement in his post-game interview.

“When we lock in on defense, we are one of the best young teams in the league. So I think we just stay locked in and keep getting more wins.”

More on Trail Blazers; Blazers News: Pundit Explains Why It's Time to Trade Anfernee Simons

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Courtney Tate
COURTNEY TATE

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