Trail Blazers working to build on recent successes: ‘We can always do better’

The Portland Trail Blazers returned home from a grueling four-game trip with games at four playoff contenders to get right back to work with a rare opportunity to actually practice.

Twice.

The Blazers had four days off between their loss Saturday at Utah and Wednesday night’s game at the Golden State Warriors and used Monday and Tuesday to hit the court and work out some kinks.

“The Utah game was disappointing, but as we know, because we’ve been on the other side so many times, it was a tough game to play,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “I know my guys were tired. Y’all know I don’t do the excuse thing. We’re on an eight-game trip … It was just tough. And the last game of the trip is always difficult.”

That it was. The Blazers did not play well, fell behind big but battled back to force overtime where they ultimately lost. But going 2-2 was certainly nothing to scoff at given that the Blazers left town at 4-12.

Now, having won three out of five, the Blazers had a chance to reset a bit and do so with more examples of success to lean on.

“We can always do better,” rookie Scoot Henderson said. “Even in the games we won, we still have a lot of things to work on. But I think it was a solid, solid road trip. Two-and-two is not bad. But I think we can be even better.”

At 6-13, the Blazers’ record is the fifth worst in the NBA – but this team doesn’t resemble one chasing a top-10 draft pick.

They posted the second-best defensive rating in the NBA (106.3) over the last five games. The Blazers’ offense, meanwhile, remains a work in progress.

The team entered Tuesday ranked last in scoring at 105.2 points per game and last in offensive rating (105.4). But they averaged 110.6 over the past five games and saw a huge jump in long-range shooting. Over that span, they ranked fourth in three-point shooting (40.2%). That proved enough to boost their season average from dead last to 27th (33.8).

“I think even before we started shooting that well, we’re a much better shooting team than numbers say,” Billups said. “So, that, to me, all had to do with us not creating the right shots or us forcing shots or not working hard enough to get the right shots. Now, we’re doing a better job of creating and getting better looks. And I think having some guys back makes other guys’ legs a little fresher. We were overplaying everybody.”

Another reason for the improved shooting, Billups said, is that they’ve become a better passing team. He shared that the team has been doing a lot of drill work in that area.

The team’s shooting should only continue to rise with the eventual return of Anfernee Simons (listed as questionable for Wednesday at the Golden State Warriors), a career 38.7% three-point shooter.

If the shift in defensive and long-range shooting prowess continues, the Blazers could have permanently shifted from being a likely win for most opponents to, at the very least, a threat to routinely make life difficult on the court for the opposition.

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