Posted November 19, 2018 at 01:30 PM | Updated November 19, 2018 at 01:31 PM
The Portland Trail Blazers maintained their position as a consensus top 5 team in the latest batch of NBA power rankings, despite ugly losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves to open their six-game road trip.
Overall record: 11-5
Record last week: 1-2
Games this week: Tuesday at New York Knicks, Wednesday at Milwaukee Bucks, Friday at Golden State Warriors
Here's a look at where the Blazers stack up in the latest NBA power rankings after Week 6:
(Previous rank: 2)
Coach Terry Stotts has changed up his substitution pattern this season, sitting Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum together for a few minutes per half, instead of having one of the two on the floor at all times. Thus far, the Blazers have survived (outscoring their opponents 2.1 points per 100 possessions) those no-Lillard-or-McCollum minutes (with Evan Turner running the point) pretty well and Stotts stuck with a 10-man rotation over the weekend, giving rookie Anfernee Simons some burn in place of the injured Seth Curry. The Blazers lost the first two games of their trip (their loss in Minnesota on Friday was the first time they've been held under a point per possession), but an easy win in Washington on Sunday and the Warriors' three-game losing streak has Portland in first place in the Western Conference. Their first meeting with the champs is Friday in Oakland, the conclusion of a six-game excursion in which they will have changed time zones four times.
(Previous ranking: 5)
Did you expect Damian Lillard to do anything besides put 40 on the Wizards to end Portland’s two-game losing streak? Even with a not-so-great week, the Trail Blazers have moved into a tie for first in the West. Upcoming contests against the Bucks, Warriors and Clippers will be a litmus test for just how good this team is right now. Dame and C.J. are sure to do their thing in those meetings, but seeing how the role players perform in those games and just how well the two stars can create for them will say a lot about just how excited people should be about this team come April.
(Previous rank: 5)
Nik Stauskas is a nice story for the Blazers. He stole the show on opening night when he dropped 24 points on the Los Angeles Lakers. And he gives the Blazers another three-point threat. But since opening night, he's scored more than 10 points only once -- and his net rating at minus-7.7 points per 100 possessions is by far the worst on the team.
