It has been over a month since the Trail Blazers lost a game. All the while, they continue their assault on the league’s pecking order, and continue to climb the ladder that is the weekly power rankings.
ESPN ranked Portland 4th, with Michael Schwartz touching on the impressive streak, as well as the duo of improbable wins over the Golden State Warriors:
With long winning streaks for the Rockets and Pelicans both falling on Friday, Portland’s nine-game run is now the longest active streak in the NBA. Perhaps more impressive is that two of the Warriors’ past three losses have come at the hands of the Blazers.
CBS Sports has the Blazers third, and Chris Barnewall thinks they are for real:
After a win over the Warriors, Damian Lillard said that the Trail Blazers were the “real deal.” With nine consecutive wins, and a hold of third place in the West, it’s really starting to feel that way. The big difference between this edition of the Blazers and the previous teams in the past? This team plays great defense.
Sports Illustrated also has the team third, while Rohan Nadkarni lauded the streak:
Portland is the hottest team in the league, now having won nine in a row. The Blazers still only have a two-game lead on the Pelicans and Wolves in the bunched-up West.
It’s another busy week for the Blazers (40-26), who host the Heat tonight, the Cavaliers on Thursday, the Pistons Saturday, and are in Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Sunday.