Rebounding for the Portland Trail Blazers has been key to their success

The Portland Trail Blazers have won 13 games in a row and are the hottest team in the NBA. There are a lot of reasons the Blazers are winning games and playing good basketball, but none is more critical than their rebounding.

The Portland Trail Blazers are in the third seed in the Western Conference and have one of the five best records in the NBA. Damian Lillard has been playing at an MVP level since the All-Star break, and that has elevated the play for the entire Blazers team as they have been on their winning streak.

Since the break, the Blazers rank second in defensive rating and 10th in offensive rating. They have been firing on all cylinders and are peaking at the right time going into the playoffs.

The Blazers have been a top rebounding team all season. They currently rank third in the NBA for total rebounds, at 45.5 per game.

Since the All-Star break, the Blazers are ranked first in total rebounding at 47.8 per game. They have been flying around and have been aggressive grabbing boards on both sides of the floor all season. Being an active rebounding team is a big reason the Blazers are winning games and now being labeled as a contender.

Here are the top rebounders on the Blazers:

• Jusuf Nurkic — 8.6 total rebounds, 6.4 defensive rebounds, 2.2 offensive rebounds; grabs 17.8 percent of the rebounds when he is on the floor; 22 games with 10 rebounds or more.
• Ed Davis — 7.5 total rebounds, 5.1 defensive rebounds, 2.5 offensive rebounds; grabs 21.6 percent of the rebounds when he is on the floor; 19 games with 10 rebounds or more.
• Al-Farouq Aminu — 7.4 total rebounds, 6.2 defensive rebounds, 1.3 offensive rebounds; grabs 13.5 percent of the rebounds when he is on the floor; 13 games with 10 rebounds or more.