The Portland Trail Blazers have seized control of eighth place in the Western Conference. What will they have to do in order to keep the spot and clinch a playoff berth?
The Portland Trail Blazers‘ magic number to clinch a playoff berth is six.
They reached this number following a 117-107 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. The win puts a bow on a remarkable March in which they went 13-3.
That record is Portland’s highest winning percentage for a month since February 2016. That month, the Blazers went 9-2 for a .818 winning percentage. Thirteen wins is also their most wins in a month since December 2014, when they also went 13-3.
The Houston win comes two days after a 122-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets. That game put Portland in control of their playoff destiny. It gave the Blazers sole control of eighth place and all major tiebreakers over the Nuggets.
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Damian Lillard told the media postgame that the team is finally competing at their optimal level (quote via The Oregonian).
"“It feels like we’re playing like the team that we expected ourselves to be from the beginning of the season. It’s frustrating because we wish we could have been playing this brand of basketball months ago and we wouldn’t even be in this position that we’re in, but I feel like it couldn’t have come at a greater time,”"
But with seven games remaining, there is still work to do.
Today, we will discuss the five things Portland needs to do to close out 2016-17 with their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
The Blazers have improved in a number of areas over the past month. It can be credited in large part to the acquisition of Jusuf Nurkic and the opportunities his arrival brought.
But what are those facets? How can they help Portland secure the eighth seed and land in the postseason?