Twenty-six and a half.
This summer, Vegas oddsmakers set the Portland Trail Blazers’ over/under win total at 26.5, a .323 winning percentage, after replacing four starters and a host of other roles in the offseason.
With Wednesday’s nationally televised 116-103 victory over the Houston Rockets at Moda Center, the Trail Blazers claimed their 27th win of the season to move .500 and seventh place in the Western Conference heading into the NBA All-Star break.
Though other teams are on pace to live up to Vegas’ projections, odds can — and should — always still be taken with a grain of salt. Still, it can be considered a surprise to see the Blazers in such a good position in early February after a few rough patches early on in the 2015-16 campaign.
“We dug ourselves a hole to start the season giving up some games late, but we stuck with it — we kept going; we kept working,” point guard Damian Lillard told reporters after the win. “We didn’t get too high or low. We were able to close in and get to .500 going into the break. Our team has done a great job of sticking to the grind, working every day in practice and staying together. That’s gotten us to where we are now.”
Added guard CJ McCollum: “We have a lot of confidence in ourselves, individually and collectively. We trust in our work ethic and trust in the system Coach [Terry Stotts] has implemented. We knew it was only a matter of time before we began to rack up some wins and begin to play better as a unit.”
‘Playing as a unit’ can’t be considered an overstatement for this Portland squad. Winners in 12 of their last 15 games, help has come from everywhere for the Blazers. Wednesday’s win versus the Rockets was indicative of that as six Trail Blazers recorded double-digit scoring totals. Lillard led his team with 31 points, while McCollum (14), Maurice Harkless (19), Meyers Leonard (14), Gerald Henderson (13) and Al-Farouq Aminu (11) all shared the scoring load in the victory.
“We’ve grown immensely, that’s been the key to our team,” McCollum said. “Our bench has played extremely well. Guys are kinda settling into roles and being aggressive and helping us contribute each and every single night. It’s a team game: when we get four, five, six guys in double figures, it makes the game so much easier for everybody.
“We become a really dangerous team.”
Now the Trail Blazers have a full eight days to rest and relax before welcoming the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors on February 19. Players will go on vacation, visit their hometowns or like McCollum, attend NBA All-Star weekend in Toronto.
Is head coach Terry Stotts concerned with falling out of rhythm during the recess?
“We’re playing well and hopefully when we get back, we pick up where we left off,” he said.
“But everybody could use a break.”
