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Blazers week in review 1/31

By Erik Gundersen, Columbian Trail Blazers Writer
Published: January 31, 2016, 5:40pm

Blazer Beef

An undefeated week? What’s not to like? The team has been home for 10 home games in January, including Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

They had a short week, which has helped the Blazers play well defensively. Offensively, they’ve managed to take better care of the ball and have played strong defense over their two wins this week.

Whether that continues when the rest is short and the beds are in hotel rooms rather than their homes is another story.

Blazer Bravo

As mentioned above, the Blazers played very solid defense with a defensive rating of under 100 points per 100 possessions allowed over the last two games.

Where the Blazers have been especially successful recently has been in execution of their game plans geared toward their opponents.

Against Sacramento, the Blazers big men held strong against DeMarcus Cousins and took away what they tried to do in transition. Against Charlotte, they changed their pick and roll defensive scheme to account for the shooting ability of the Hornets front court players and they executed almost perfectly.

With five games left until the All-Star break, including two games against the Rockets who are two games ahead of them in the standings, the Blazers have a great opportunity to make up ground. They’ll need to make good on the defensive improvements they’ve made recently if they want to make that up.

By The Numbers

7 — The Blazers play seven out of their 11 February games at the Moda Center.

8 — The Blazers have the eighth best net-rating in the league in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents by 3.3 points per 100 possessions this season according to NBA.com.

118 — The Blazers have a defensive rating of 118 in the clutch. That’s better than the Jazz, 76ers and Suns, but still awful.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday vs. Milwaukee Bucks (7 p.m., CSN): Greg Monroe reportedly almost signed with the Blazers and has helped Milwaukee’s offense on the court, but Milwaukee’s defense — a calling card of last year’s playoff team — has fallen off a cliff since his arrival.

Thursday vs. Toronto Raptors (7 p.m., KGW): The Toronto Raptors have been one of the most consistent teams in the league. Like much of the NBA, they’ve put a greater emphasis on small ball. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are both All-Star selections.

Saturday at Houston Rockets (7 p.m., CSN): After a runner-up MVP season last year, James Harden’s defense and that of the Rockets have self-combusted. After finishing eighth in overall defensive rating last season, the Rockets are 28th despite very little change in personnel.

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Columbian Trail Blazers Writer