3 reasons for the Portland Trail Blazers’ current struggles

1. Trouble defending the perimeter

The Blazers have had trouble shooting the 3-ball. They have also had trouble defending it. Rip City had the seventh-best perimeter defense in the league through the first 13 games, holding teams to 33.5 percent shoooting from beyond the arc. The tables turned in the last seven games, with teams now shooting 40.4 percent from 3-point range. That’s the second-worst mark in the league over that span.

The issue is at its worst above-the-break, where the Blazers have conceded a league-worst 42.3 percent from that zone. Every opponent on Portland’s road trip made at least 12 3-pointers in their respective game, with the Golden State Warriors’ 17 being the most. Five of those six foes shot at least 40 percent from outside on the night.

The Blazers managed to regroup in their return home on Sunday, holding the Clippers to 5-of-25 shooting. That helped their percentage over the last seven games, because it was up to 42.9 percent during the road trip. This game indicated that the Blazers are still capable of locking down the 3-point line. It may come down to having fresh legs and a better defensive focus each night.

Over the next few games, the Portland Trail Blazers will need to figure out how to improve their production off the bench and from beyond the arc, while making sure they get back to containing the 3-point line on the other end. Doing so will help them keep pace in the tight and competitive Western Conference.