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

1. Losing grip on the defensive rope

Over the past six games, the Blazers have had to scrap for their victories. But when they lose, they lose ugly. Portland is 3-3 over the last six games. They secured their wins by an average margin of 3.3 points per game. However, they lost by an average margin of 16.3 points per game.

Specifically on the road trip, the Blazers lost the grip on the defensive rope in their two losses. The Blazers were only down 72-69 after the third quarter of the Atlanta game. However, they were outscored 32-20 in the fourth quarter, allowing the Hawks to shoot 56.5 percent from the field in that frame.

After a competitive game against Chicago, they set out for Cleveland with Lillard back in the fold. The game was tied at 91 with 11:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. From there, however, the Cavs closed out the game on a 36-19 run. Cleveland shot 52.4 percent over that span, led by Dwyane Wade’s eight points and seven rebounds.

The Blazers have lost the defensive identity they entered the season with. They came away with defensive ratings over 100 in all three games. Their 114.0 points allowed per 100 possessions was 19th-best in the league over the course of the trip.

Next: 2017-18 Week 12 NBA Power Rankings

Of all three developments over the course of this three-game stretch, this is the most troubling. Even with a stagnant offense, a staunch defense goes a long way towards keeping a team competitive. If the Portland Trail Blazers stop getting defensive stops as we get deeper into the season, this team will have a lot of trouble maintaining a playoff spot in the West.