Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from 5-game road trip

A flair for the dramatic

The Blazers may have won four games on their road trip, but they didn’t come easily. All four games featured moments late in games that put the Blazers in compromising positions.

Their victories over the Nets and Wizards required sterling comeback efforts. In the Nets game, Portland was down by six with 2:20 remaining in regulation. It took a quick 8-0 run of layups and free throws to put the Blazers ahead. From there, it was a matter of trading baskets until the final buzzer sounded.

Portland had to fight back from down 17 points to the Wizards with 8:53 left in the fourth. The team had to pull off an 18-4 run on 11-for-14 shooting. McCollum led the surge, going 6-for-7 over the span.

Meanwhile, their wins over the Grizzlies and Knicks saw them stave off comeback attempts by their opponents.

Portland was ahead of Memphis by as many as 13 points late in the second quarter. However, the Grizzlies were able to walk them down and tie the game late in the third. It took a 9-2 run in the middle of the fourth for the Blazers to finally put things away.

The Knicks game seemed well in hand most of the way: Portland was ahead by 26 points at the end of the third quarter. A 14-0 New York run to kick off the fourth made the ballgame a little more intriguing, but in the end, Portland was able to keep them at arm’s length and win by 12.

Runs and slumps are certainly a part of basketball. However, it’s telling that the Blazers either find themselves in big holes or sometimes see sizable leads slip away. Luckily, the team has shown enough resilience to fight for the win.