POWER RANKINGS » SLIDING AFTER DROPPING THREE AT HOME IN WEEK 8 →

The home-court magic has stalled for the Trail Blazers, who after winning 10 straight games at home have now dropped their last three home games by a combined 71 points. For a team with just one road win so far this season, protecting home court had been paramount for the Blazers to stay at or around .500 and within the playoff conversation in the West. Injuries have started to factor in, as Damian Lillard has now sat the last four games managing the abdominal injury that has been nagging him throughout the season. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Anfernee Simons, who then suffered an ankle sprain in the team’s lone win this week over the Pistons. Additional injuries to Nassir Little (sprained ankle) and CJ McCollum (bruised ribs) led to the Blazers fielding a Smith Jr., Powell, Snell, Covington, Nurkić starting five in a loss to the Clippers on Monday night.

Despite the loss, the Clippers game had some silver linings for the Blazers in an otherwise rough week, as Jusuf Nurkić and Norman Powell both recorded season-highs in scoring with 31 and 29 points respectively. After expressing his disappointment in the team’s effort in two previous blowout losses, coach Billups applauded the team’s effort in this game saying, “They played really hard… and every team that plays hard, no matter what, you give yourselves a chance.” Norman Powell reiterated this point in his postgame media availability saying, “I loved the way we competed. I loved the way we were playing for each other… that’s how we need to play.” Both Billups and Powell attributed the loss to tired legs and a depleted lineup but felt that the team reached the level of intensity and focus that they want to see on a nightly basis.

After a single-game road trip to take on the Warriors in San Francisco on Wednesday, Portland will be back home with a few days off before another four-game homestand. With only minor injuries looming, this should provide enough time for Portland to get healthy and maybe even squeeze in a practice, something they’ve had little time for with the way the schedule has played out up to this point.

The Blazers showed some consistency this week. Unfortunately, it was on the wrong side of the win/loss column. After bouncing back and forth in the Power Rankings throughout much of the season, the Blazers find themselves sliding to the bottom of third of the rankings this week, coming in as low as No. 23 and as high as No. 21.

Here’s where the Blazers sit in the eighth edition of the weekly power rankings after a win over the Pistons followed by three double-digit home losses:

 

As noted above, teams with a rest advantage were 8-1 over the last four days. The one loss was the game in which the rested Blazers allowed the Celtics (who ranked 23rd offensively after losing in Utah the night before) to score 145 points on 97 possessions, the seventh most efficient performance for any team in the 26 seasons for which we have play-by-play data. The Blazers made big changes to their defense this season and they’re right back at the bottom of the league in points allowed per 100 possessions. Their opponent effective field goal percentage (55.8%) would be the fourth worst mark in NBA history.

The Boston loss was the third game in a stretch where the Blazers are playing 15 of 19 at home. But, with Damian Lillard out (his abdominal tendinopathy will be re-evaluated this week), their 10-1 home record has become 10-3, with a lot of good teams making their way to the Moda Center in the next 12 days. Without Lillard, the Blazers were relying on Anfernee Simons, who sprained his ankle in the first half of their loss to the Spurs on Thursday, leaving Dennis Smith Jr. to start alongside CJ McCollum in the backcourt.

When you’re missing two of your five leading scorers, it would be good to have a solid defense to keep you in games. Alas …

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Raptors at No. 21 and ahead of the Spurs at No. 23.

 

It wasn't the best week for rookie coach Chauncey Billups. Besides seeing general manager Neil Olshey -- the man who hired him -- fired, the Blazers were blown out in three of four games. Damian Lillard has missed three straight games and CJ McCollum bruised some ribs, though he is probable to play on Monday. Portland has lost five of the past six, but even more alarming is that it suffered its past four defeats by 15, 22, 31 and 28 points, respectively.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 20 and ahead of the Raptors at No. 22.

 

We’re not seeing nearly the same volume of opportunities for Larry Nance Jr. on the Portland Trail Blazers as we saw previously in Cleveland, but you’re still seeing a positive impact when he’s in the game. Nance is such a smart player who knows exactly how to fill in gaps on the floor. He finishes extremely well and is great at utilizing his strength and athleticism. He’s a big part of the bench unit with the Blazers being something that galvanizes this team to get back into games. I wouldn’t be shocked if Chauncey Billups threw him into the starting lineup at some point to get more energy on the floor as the Blazers look for some hope.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Timberwolves at No. 21 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 23.

 

A whirlwind week for the Blazers—which saw superstar Damian Lillard exit the lineup to deal with a nagging abdominal injury and general manager Neil Olshey get axed as a result of a workplace culture investigation—ended with first-year coach Chauncey Billups laying into his team after losing 145-117 at home to Boston. “I’ve never seen a team that needs its bench to inspire our starters. That shit is crazy to me,” Billups said as Portland fell to 11-13. “It’s supposed to be the other way around.”

Herring has the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 22 and ahead of the Kings at No. 24.

POWER RANKINGS » STAYING NEAR THE MIDDLE IN WEEK 7 →

A quarter of the way through the 2021-22 NBA season and the Trail Blazers are one of 12 teams within one game of .500 that have been increasingly hard to get a read on despite a 20-plus game sample size thus far. Of all the teams on that list, Portland has the best record at home (9-1) and the worst record on the road (1-10), pointing to the one constant in an otherwise inconsistent season -- the discrepancy between home and away games.

Last season, Portland had a better record on the road (22-14) than they did at home (20-16), and while there were many changes this offseason at which we could point fingers, the most glaring difference is the addition of fans in the arenas this season compared to the empty arenas last year. A serious case could be made and has been made by players including Dame, for the importance of some teams to play in front of their home fans. Much of the Western Conference has struggled to find a rhythm on the road at the quarter mark of the season, with only four teams (Warriors, Suns, Jazz, Kings) having an above .500 road record compared to the eight teams that were above .500 on the road to end last season.

Fortunately for Portland, 15 of their next 19 games will take place at Moda Center, where the team is rolling on a nine-game win streak. They will put that win streak on the line against the 4-16 Pistons tonight without the services of Damian Lillard, Norman Powell or Nassir Little, who are all nursing injuries -- something the Blazers have largely been able to avoid up to this point. The Trail Blazers have an opportunity to gain some ground in the muddled Western Conference standings this month provided they can continue their staunch protection of home court.

Despite losing three in a row on the road for the second time this season, Portland’s position in the power rankings hasn’t shifted much from last week, coming in as high as No. 14 and as low as No. 18. There were some silver linings in this week’s road losses including a 28-point, 17-rebound performance from Jusuf Nurkic against the Kings and two back-to-back season highs in scoring for Anfernee Simons of 19 points against the Warriors and 24 points against the Jazz, respectively. This team continues to show bits and pieces of what they could be but has yet to be able to put it together for an extended period of time. They will look to do just that with a four-game homestand in front of them, before heading back to San Francisco to take on the red-hot Warriors for the second time this season.

Here’s where the Blazers sit in the seventh edition of the weekly power rankings after another tough road trip:

 

The Blazers’ home-road discrepancy only got bigger last week. They’ve won nine straight games at the Moda Center, having taken care of business against the Jokic-less Nuggets on Tuesday. That win came with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combining for 57 points on an effective field goal percentage of 84.4%, easily their best combined mark of the season. But they then dropped to 1-9 on the road (the only win was over the Rockets), allowing the Kings and Warriors to score almost 123 points per 100 possessions over the first two games of their trip. Lillard and McCollum combined to shoot 34% over the two games and commit three costly turnovers down the stretch in Sacramento.

The Blazers’ have the league’s third biggest home-road differential on offense, having scored 11.2 more points per 100 possessions at home. And they have the biggest home-road differential on defense, having allowed 11.9 more per 100 on the road. They’ve allowed more than 120 per 100 in seven of their 10 road games, having played only slightly tougher opponents on the road (cumulative winning percentage of .547) than they have at home (.519).

That strength-of-schedule differential will widen this week. The Blazers’ three-game trip ends Monday in Utah. Then they’re home for 15 of their next 19 games, a stretch that takes them into mid-January.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Timberwolves at No. 17 and ahead of the Lakers at No. 19.

 

Portland opened last week with its fourth straight win, a 19-point victory over Denver. But the Blazers lost at Sacramento the next night before losing by 15 to the Warriors on Friday. They'll complete a three-game road swing at Utah on Monday. At 10-10, Chauncey Billups' Blazers continue to struggle to find consistency.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 14 and ahead of the Nuggets at No. 16.

Another one of those great offense/putrid defense teams. The Portland Trail Blazers have been waiting for Damian Lillard to get back to being Damian Lillard, and I think the supporting cast of this team has been encouraging during this time. It just doesn’t feel like much progress has been made for the roster/approach Dame questioned (rightfully so) following last postseason’s ousting. Chauncey Billups hasn’t brought about much change as the coach. The Blazers are locked into what they have as a team. And it will probably be good enough to be anywhere from a dangerous first-round opponent to an afterthought hoping to get through the Play-In Tournament. The Blazers are fine. They exist. But we’re waiting to see if there’s another gear residing in there.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 13 and ahead of the Clippers at No. 15.

 

Thankful for Damian Lillard’s immense patience and grace. To review: The Blazers fired coach Terry Stotts, made a controversial hire in Chauncey Billups, failed to significantly improve the roster and now are investigating GM Neil Olshey over allegations of a hostile work environment. Nearly any other superstar in this era would have made a trade demand by now. But the 31-year-old Lillard keeps professing his love and loyalty to Portland.

Beck has the Trail Blazers behind the Cavaliers at No. 16 and ahead of the 76ers at No. 18.

POWER RANKINGS » BOUNCING BACK IN WEEK 6 AFTER STRONG HOMESTAND →

Over the last three games, the Trail Blazers are shooting 50-40-90 splits as a squad and have reeled off three wins in a row. This marks the team’s longest winning streak of the season so far and comes on their longest homestand. The Blazers continue to defend home court, winning their last eight games at Moda Center to bring the home record to 8-1 (the best home start since the 2014-15 season). After a 1-3 road trip that saw Portland sliding down last week's rankings, this timely homestand provided an opportunity to test their homecourt prowess against some of the better teams in the East. Defeating the Raptors, Bulls, and Sixers already, Portland will finish the homestand Tuesday night with a chance to exact revenge against a Nuggets team that defeated them 124-95 in Denver on Nov. 14. 

Coming off of a season-high 39 points, Damian Lillard, who sat out the last game against the Nuggets with lower abdominal tendinopathy, appears to be good to go for Tuesday’s contest. A win against the Nuggets would put the Blazers two games above .500 for the first time this season and would catapult them up the standings to fifth or sixth in the West depending on the outcome of the Mavericks vs. Clippers game. This home streak has been necessary for Portland to stay near the middle of the pack in the standings, but they risk sliding right back down to .500 or below with another three-game road trip coming up. However, if Portland can bring any semblance of their homecourt energy with them on the road, they have an opportunity to separate themselves from the play-in pack.

Here’s where the Blazers sit in the sixth edition of the weekly power rankings:

The Blazers have been home, which means that the Blazers have been winning. Their first homestand of more than two games has turned into their first winning streak of more than two games, and it’s been their best three-game stretch of offense this season. They’ve scored more than 120 points per 100 possessions over the three games, and Damian Lillard has led the way, averaging 28.3 points and 8.3 assists. He hasn’t caught fire just yet and his true shooting percentage of 50.9% still ranks just 41st among 48 players with a usage rate of 25% or higher. But he’s not shooting nearly as poorly as he was in the first few weeks of the season.

Of course, the Blazers’ defense hasn’t been any better. And though Nassir Little and Larry Nance Jr. (16-for-21 shooting over the homestand) are doing good things off the bench, there have been some bad stretches with Lillard off the floor. So all three wins have been close and Lillard has averaged more than 39 minutes over the three, having missed the prior game with that abdominal injury.

The good news in that regard is that the Blazers are in the middle of a second straight two-day break. They finish their homestand with the Nuggets on Tuesday, and then they’re on the road again, having lost seven of their eight games away from the Moda Center.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 15 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 17.

Damian Lillard was out for only a game and the Blazers were happy to have their star back. Lillard helped Portland to its best week with three wins over the Raptors, Bulls and Sixers. Lillard scored 39 in the win over the Sixers and now Portland is above .500. Coach Chauncey Billups' team will have a chance to atone for a 29-point loss to Denver with a rematch against the Nuggets on Tuesday before going on a three-game road swing.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 16 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 18.

What should this team be thankful for? The role players so far. I don’t think the Portland Trail Blazers have a roster that can make them one of the elites of the West, but you can’t deny that guys such as Norman Powell, Jusuf Nurkic, Larry Nance Jr. and Anfernee Simons have been instrumental in keeping things afloat while they wait for Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to regain their usual, consistent form. Powell has probably been the most impressive. That deadline deal with Toronto has been a win-win for both sides. Even with Lillard struggling, them on the floor together still keeps the Blazers scoring with just about everybody. They’re not going to fix their defense with this group, so Powell’s scoring barrages keep Portland afloat and then some.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Celtics at No. 11 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 13.

Portland’s been among the NBA’s best teams on offense this season, logging a 110.9 offensive rating entering Sunday. But its defense has remained underwhelming, currently standing at No. 25 in the league at 110.4 points per 100 possessions. The Blazers’ three-point defense has been especially porous, allowing opposing teams to shoot 38.6% from three, the third-worst mark in the NBA heading into Sunday.

Mannix has the Trail Blazers behind the Mavericks at No. 14 and ahead of the Cavaliers at No. 16.

Most thankful for: The Larry Nance Jr. trade. Acquired as part of a three-team deal, the 28-year-old forward has quietly been the addition the Trail Blazers have been looking for. Portland's outscoring opponents by 6.1 points per 100 possessions with Nance on the court, giving him the second-best net rating on the team 

Irving has the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 16 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 18.

POWER RANKINGS » BEGINNING TO SLIDE IN WEEK 5 →

Despite notching their first road win of the season over the now 1-12 Rockets, the Trail Blazers have continued to inch down the power rankings thanks to three more road losses to round out a four-game road trip. This brings the Blazers’ road record to an uninspiring 1-7, while home wins on either end of the road trip have brought the Blazers’ home record to 6-1 on a six-game home winning streak. This tale of two teams has kept the Blazers hovering around .500 all season. Dame touched on this disparity after Monday’s win over Toronto in Portland. 

"When we play at home, we're a different team than when we play on the road. That's just the truth. And I'm not sure what it is," Lillard said. "I think when you're at home there's just a level of comfort and support that you feel from the fans. But at the same time, we're NBA players; We play on the road a lot."

Lillard is right. It’s been hard to pinpoint the source of the team’s struggles on the road this season. Some have pointed to the adoption of a new ball and changes to officiating. Rookie head coach Chauncey Billups continues to implement and refine a new system. Dame has been playing through an irritated core injury. But these serve as little more than excuses, something that Larry Nance Jr. alluded to after Monday’s game in Portland, will not help this team win.

 “This league is not easy. No one’s going to feel sorry for us. Games are not going to slow down. The competition is not going to get any easier,” Nance said.

The Blazers' upcoming schedule is a tough one, with games against the Bulls, Sixers, and Nuggets slated for this week. Fortunately for Portland, 18 of their next 25 games are home at the Moda Center, where they’ve had the league’s second-best offensive rating to go with a top-10 defensive rating. Provided they can keep up this pace, the Blazers should be able to climb the power rankings in the coming weeks despite a recent slide.

Here’s where the Blazers sit in the fifth edition of the weekly power rankings

The Blazers got their first road win of the season on Friday, getting good minutes from their bench to outlast the (now) 1-12 Rockets. Nassir Little had such a good start (3-for-4 in the first quarter), they drew up the first play of the second quarter for him. And really, with his versatility, if Little can build upon these last couple of games, the Blazers will be a better team in the long run.

Of course, nobody’s more important to this team than Damian Lillard, who missed the Blazers’ loss in Denver on Sunday with the abdomen injury that’s been bothering him. The Blazers got blasted by the Nuggets, in what was the most efficient game for any team this season (124 points on just 91 possessions) and the third time on the four-game trip that they allowed more than 120 per 100.

Good news: The Blazers now begin a four-game homestand, and they play 19 of their next 26 games at the Moda Center, where they’re 5-1. The first game is Monday and Lillard’s status is unknown, but after Wednesday, the Blazers will play just four games over a stretch of 11 days.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Pacers at No. 19 and ahead of the Grizzlies at No. 21.

As if the Blazers didn't already have enough to deal with, Damian Lillard is nursing a lower abdominal injury that kept him out on Sunday. Without their star, the Blazers lost 124-95 in Denver. Portland has dropped three of its past four games by eight or more points. Off the court, the Blazers are dealing with the investigation into general manager Neil Olshey. Rookie head coach Chauncey Billups has his work cut out for him.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Celtics at No. 19 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 21.

How did the chaos hit the Portland Trail Blazers? The chaos for the Portland Trail Blazers extends far beyond the court. The team has launched an investigation into itself. A lead business executive resigned in the process, but the focus is Neil Olshey. Maybe this is getting ahead of a story in light of the accusations in Phoenix. Or maybe this is a nod to Damian Lillard after he made it very public he didn’t want to leave after all. Regardless, the Blazers are a bit of a circus off the court and struggling to beat non-losing teams on the court. But at least they seem to have Lillard’s vote of confidence for now, and he’s kind of painted himself into a corner of not changing his mind on this.

Why is the team here this week? A 1-3 week for the Blazers, and their only win came against the worst team in our rankings. Three losses against three playoff teams is a tough look.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 17 and ahead of the Raptors at No. 19.

 Damian Lillard missed Sunday night’s loss with an abdominal injury and despite stellar play from his backcourt mates CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons (a springy Most Improved Player/Sixth Man of the Year candidate), nothing really matters here unless Lillard is healthy enough to look like a top-10 force of nature. That hasn’t really happened yet this season.

Mannix has the Trail Blazers behind the Grizzlies at No. 21 and ahead of the Thunder at No. 23.

The Trail Blazers’ issues extend beyond the court. Portland opened an investigation into president of basketball operations and general manager Neil Olshey earlier this month following allegations of workplace misconduct. But the front office turmoil didn’t stop there. CEO and president of business operations Chris McGowan recently decided to step down, and though he said the timing of his decision had nothing to do with the investigation, it is another worrying sign for a franchise that desperately needs stability. 

Irving has the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 18 and ahead of the Grizzlies at No. 20.

POWER RANKINGS » NO MAJOR CHANGE TO RANKINGS IN WEEK 4 →

Ten games into the Trail Blazers season and we have a large enough sample size to see patterns begin to emerge that could be early indicators as to the identity of the 2021-22 iteration of this team as they incorporate new players and a new system under first-year head coach Chauncey Billups. After a tough east-coast road trip that had the Blazers dropping three in a row to the Hornets, Sixers, and Cavs, they were able to grind out timely wins at home over the Pacers and Lakers.

Saturday’s game against the Lakers was the third time this season a Blazers’ opponent has been held below 100 points on less than 40% shooting, matching the total number of such games throughout all of last season. Portland has won all three of these games at home by a combined 54 points contributing to a 5-1 record at home. Portland also boasts top-five defensive and offensive ratings when defending home court. Road games have been a different story. The Blazers are 0-4 on the road this season and have the second-worst defensive rating away from home. 

When asked after Saturday's game about the disparity in the team’s performance between home and away games, Damian Lillard highlighted the importance of fan support, comfortability, and rest saying, “that’s why they call it a home-court advantage.” When asked the same question Nurkic added that “to be able to win a championship, you need to win on the road,” and “I feel like we just need that one.”

For the team with the league’s longest distance to travel per season at around 45,000 miles, it’s important to find that comfortability and be able to generate that spark on the road. With a four-game road trip coming up against the Clippers, Suns, Rockets, and Nuggets, the Blazers have a chance to prove that they can win on the road or risk sliding early in a packed Western Conference.

Here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the fourth edition of the weekly power rankings after another week of mixed results.

With how pronounced Damian Lillard’s early-season struggles have been, there are probably multiple factors (including an “irritated” core injury) involved. As noted last week, the Blazers’ offense is different, having seen big jumps in both ball and player movement. Lillard’s touches per 36 minutes (82) are at the same level as they were last season, but a higher percentage of those touches are originating in the frontcourt. He’s had possession of the ball for 18% of his minutes on the floor, down from 23% last season. And the percentage of his shots that have come after seven or more dribbles is down from 44% to 34%.

Lillard’s shooting (34% from the field, 22% from 3-point range through Friday) is still the strangest storyline of the first three weeks. The nadir might have been a blown layup to take the lead late in Cleveland on Wednesday. It led to a Cavs fast break and dropped the Blazers to 0-4 on the road, where they’ve allowed more than 115 points per 100 possessions (the league’s second worst road mark). Robert Covington hit three big 3s late to help them come back against Indiana on Friday, and Lillard drained a season-high six 3s against the Lakers on Saturday. Time will tell if that was the start of the inevitable hot streak.

The start of the Blazers’ four-game trip is their third meeting with the Clippers already. They’ve split the first two meetings, and neither one was close.

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Raptors at No. 13 and ahead of the Mavericks at No. 15.

The Blazers capped off a tumultuous week by winning their second straight game and blowing out the short-handed Lakers 105-90. But it was a tough week in Portland, not only because they were on a three-game slide earlier in the week. The franchise announced last week that it had hired an independent firm to investigate and review concerns about the workplace environment under general manager Neil Olshey. It's just another storyline to add to the drama that has surrounded the Blazers since the offseason, with speculation surrounding Damian Lillard's future and some pushback over the hiring of Chauncey Billups as head coach.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 17 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 19.

The Portland Trail Blazers’ problem the last couple years (aside from injuries) has been their offense is great and their defense is mediocre at best. So far this season, they’ve been a top-10 offense, and their recent wins over the Lakers and Pacers have helped boost them from a bottom-10 defense to middle of the road. How much of this should be attributed to a trend in the right direction? Is Chauncey Billups changing the defensive exploits of this team? The Blazers aren’t sending opponents to the free-throw line, and they’re rebounding tremendously. But they still give up a high percentage of made shots, especially from deep. I do think their defense will struggle and this thing hasn’t turned in the right direction on that end of the floor. But also, their offense has been good, and Damian Lillard hasn’t even really gotten rolling yet.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Knicks at No. 13 and ahead of the Mavericks at No. 15.

Damian Lillard’s shooting slump mercifully ended against the Lakers on Saturday, with Lillard connecting on six of his 14 three-point attempts. The Blazers have been better defensively, but ugly losses to the injury-ravaged Sixers and Cavaliers on a recent road trip showed they have a long way to go.

Mannix has the Trail Blazers behind the Hawks at No. 18 and ahead of the Kings at No. 20.

10 games into the season, Lillard has yet to find his shooting stroke. He isn’t just performing below his usual All-Star standards — his numbers are flat-out bad. He is shooting less than 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range. Does this mean the Trail Blazers should panic? No, of course not. Lillard can get hot at any time. Until he does, though, they will struggle to consistently win games.

McGregor has the Trail Blazers behind the Wizards at No. 16 and ahead of the Celtics at No. 18.

POWER RANKINGS » LITTLE CHANGE TO RANKINGS AFTER ROLLER-COASTER WEEK 3 →

An up and down few weeks has the Trail Blazers roughly where they started the season in the power rankings. They're holding down the middle of the pack, coming in no lower than 17th and no higher than 13th. Portland is the only .500 or below team in the league with a positive point differential thanks to wins by 29, 20, and 19 points over Phoenix, Memphis, and Los Angeles respectively. Unfortunately, after a close opening night loss to the Kings -- that seemed like an anomaly with Harrison Barnes going 8-11 from three, while Dame was 0-9 -- the Blazers have lost three games by 10 or more points as well. Dame’s shooting woes have continued with good looks seemingly just not going through the basket. Dame has been candid about not seeing his shot go down. “I always look at struggles as an opportunity to show my true character,” Lillard said after Monday’s game. “The real ones, they can keep on trucking and keep on going and still find a way to get the job done.”

Coach Chauncey Billups has emphasized “throwing the first punch” on both sides of the ball this season. This team looks different when they are attacking first and defensive rotations are clicking, as characterized by the two-game home stretch against the Clippers and Grizzlies, where the Blazers held their opponents under 100 points on less than 40% shooting; a feat accomplished only three times all of last season. If the Trail Blazers can maintain this identity on the defensive end and Lillard starts to see his shot go down there’s no reason to believe this team won’t start to trend in the right direction.

Here’s where the Trail Blazers sit in the third edition of the weekly power rankings after a turbulent opening slate of games.

The Blazers are moving and moving the ball a lot more under Chauncey Billups. For four straight seasons, they were in the bottom five in both ball and player movement, according to Second Spectrum tracking, ranking 30th and 29th last season. This season, they’re 19th and ninth, having seen the league’s second biggest jump in both. Damian Lillard hasn’t found his shot yet (after an efficient night against the Clippers, he was 5-for-20 in Charlotte on Sunday), but his team still ranks sixth offensively. Anfernee Simons (13.7 points per game on an effective field goal percentage of 62.7%) might finally be turning into the player the Blazers have been projecting him to be for the last three seasons, and he gave them a big lift in an impressive win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday.

After holding two straight opponents under a point per possession (something they never did in consecutive games last season), the Blazers got torched in Charlotte. The Hornets hit 20 3-pointers, with 16 of the 20 being catch-and-shoot attempts. And after that output from the league’s second-ranked offense, the Blazers will play the second game of their Sunday-Monday back-to-back against the team that ranks first

Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Hawks at No. 14 and ahead of the Grizzlies at No. 16.

The Blazers continue to search for a rhythm under new coach Chauncey Billups. After starting the week with a 30-point loss to the Clippers, the Blazers rebounded by beating Memphis by 20 and routing the Clippers by 19. But then they lost by 12 to the Hornets on Sunday to open a three-game road trip. Damian Lillard has yet to explode this season, but CJ McCollum has been steady, leading the team in scoring in five of its six games this season.

The folks at ESPN have the Trail Blazers behind the Grizzlies at No. 16 and ahead of the Raptors at No. 18.

The Portland Trail Blazers are still waiting for Damian Lillard to find his normal, superstar form, but there isn’t any reason to carry concern over whether or not that will happen. It’s going to happen. But even when that’s the case, the role of Jusuf Nurkic appears to be the difference between the Blazers looking like they can win a bunch of games and Portland looking like it’ll be in a lot of coin flip scenarios. Chauncey Billups has to harness the presence of Nurkic more than anybody else. Nurkic, fully engaged and active, is the difference between this team being good defensively and it falling apart. He’s mobile and massive. That’s a combination that can keep things stitched together on that end of the floor. To keep him engaged, it might require more chances on offense to keep him rolling with the right momentum. But he’s also skilled on that end, so the juice is worth the squeeze there.

Harper has the Trail Blazers behind the Hornets at No. 14 and ahead of the Wizards at No. 16.

An early pairing to keep an eye on: The Damian Lillard–Larry Nance Jr. duo has a 16.3 net rating in 58 minutes this season, with elite efficiency on both ends of the floor. Lance makes a lot of sense as a big playing off Lillard, and he may deserve a chance to play with the rest of the starters.

Nadkarni has the Trail Blazers behind the Lakers at No. 14 and ahead of the Raptors at No. 16.

What we've learned: Don't let a few bad games generate any irrational thoughts on Damian Lillard. He's averaging a career-low in scoring to go with the worst shooting percentages of his career, but it has only been six games. The Trail Blazers are holding it down thanks to a hot start from CJ McCollum, so there's no reason to worry about the six-time All-Star who averages 24.6 points on 37.4 percent from 3-point range over his nine-year career.

Irving has the Trail Blazers behind the Mavericks at No. 12 and ahead of the 76ers at No. 14.