Why Blazers Win vs. Grizzlies Was Extremely Significant

The Portland Trail Blazers are moving one step closer to the Play-In tournament after beating the Memphis Grizzlies on the road.

With the win, the Blazers now have a six-game cushion between them and the Grizzlies in the Western Conference standings. The Blazers are in a good spot as they look to move closer towards bonus basketball.

"If Portland wants to lock up a play-in berth and do something with it, opportunity is clearly knocking. No team closes with a softer schedule, and things may be even more advantageous than they appear if the Nuggets and Spurs are in playoff-preparation mode by the final week of the regular season," Bleacher Report contributor Zach Buckley wrote.

"The question, then, is whether the Blazers can actually trudge through this open door. And the answer is a very half-hearted "we'll see."

"They're missing multiple key performers (Deni Avdija is battling a balky lower back, and Shaedon Sharpe has a stress reaction of his left fibula), and their play has been predictably up-and-down. When they don't have it, they're just drawing dead. They've dropped five of their last eight, and those defeats have been decided by an average of 26.2 points."

Blazers Exactly Where They Need to Be

Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III dribbles as Memphis Grizzlies guard Rayan Rupert defends. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Barring an epic collapse, the Blazers should be in the Play-In tournament, and these games are just to make sure they are building momentum to get at least one, but likely two, wins to get that No. 8 seed in the playoffs.

That doesn't mean the Blazers should mail it in for the last month or so of the season, though. The wins and losses may not have as much weight as they used to, but the team needs to ensure that they are playing their best basketball going into potential elimination games.

Every game between now and then will help lead them to that, and perhaps the elimination of the pressure to keep up in the standings could bring out the best basketball the Blazers have played all year.

The Blazers still need to get some wins, but with the league's easiest schedule in the last couple weeks, that shouldn't be too hard to achieve.

The Blazers are back in action tomorrow when they take on the Houston Rockets. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT inside the Toyota Center in Houston. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.