Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) reacts to a Blazers basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Portland, Ore. The Blazers won in overtime, marking their eighth victory in the past nine games.
Amanda Loman / AP
Portland center Deandre Ayton sank several clutch free throws in the dying seconds of overtime Monday night to lift the Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns 120-117.
It marked Portland’s fourth-straight win and second in a row against Ayton’s former team. Ayton finished with 25 points and 20 rebounds.
After beating the Indiana Pacers Tuesday, Portland has now won nine of its last 10 games, and is on a heater the likes of which it hasn’t seen in years. The team has already equaled its win total from last season.
“I’m really proud of where we’re at right now,” head coach Chauncey Billups said in a press conference after Monday’s win. “Obviously, we’re on a heck of a tear, on a heck of a streak, but I’m just proud of where we are in terms of just our spirit as a team.”
The last time the Trail Blazers went on a streak of equal or greater measure was four years ago.
Portland finished the 2020-21 regular season going 10-2 in its last 12 games. The Blazers flamed out in the playoffs, losing a seven-game, first-round series against the Denver Nuggets 4-2. It was the last time Portland made the postseason and marked the start of a slow decline in Rip City.
The deconstruction and reconstruction of the Portland Trail Blazers started the following year.
Star guard Damian Lillard played just 29 games in the 2021-22 season, the fewest of his career. Portland traded veteran guard CJ McCollum, who has the fifth-most points in franchise history, in February.
Lillard dealt with injuries again the next year. In March 2023, the team chose to sit Lillard for the remainder of the season. He played a total of 58 games — and averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game — in what would be his final season in Portland.
The Blazers have been retooling their roster ever since.
The team traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks before the start of the 2023-24 season. Portland used first-round picks on guard Scoot Henderson in 2023 and center Donovan Clingan in 2024.
During the Blazers’ current hot streak, Henderson has averaged 14 points and 5 assists. Forward Deni Avdija, acquired in the offseason, has scored nearly 19 points per game, and guard Anfernee Simons has averaged 16.
The Blazers have beaten the Suns, Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat — all teams in line for the postseason — during this nine-game stretch. Their only loss came to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the second-best record in the league.
It hasn’t been all roses in the Rose City this season, however. Portland also endured a period in which it lost eight of nine games in December.
But the team’s recent success has sparked postseason dreams for some fans.
The NBA postseason has expanded since the Blazers last played meaningful basketball games. Now, teams finishing Nos. 7-10 in their conference participate in the Play-In Tournament to determine the final two playoff teams for each conference.
Billups said Monday that he’s heard people talking about the possibility of the Trail Blazers making a run at the play-in, but that he’s focused instead on continuing to improve as a team.
“I just think our team is just so together right now,” Billups said. “The longer the season goes, the more these guys become more familiar with one another. Our camaraderie and our chemistry is just really good, really high.”
As of Wednesday morning, the Blazers were positioned 13th in the Western Conference and four games back of the Golden State Warriors in 10th.
Portland has 32 games left on its regular season schedule to jockey for postseason position.
It’s unclear whether Portland will keep its current roster together. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at noon.