Lakers concerns and 3 other notable takeaways from NBA’s bubble restart

3. Portland Trail Blazers not done yet

The Portland Trail Blazers finished the 2018-19 campaign with the third-best record in the Western Conference. Furthermore, they advanced to the conference finals for the first time in 19 years.

Although they were swept by the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors, the Trail Blazers were expected to be in the thick of the conference playoff race. Before the restart, though, Portland did not look like a playoff-bound ball club.

However, the narrative has changed in Orlando.

The talented backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has paced the Trail Blazers attack. Lillard is averaging a whopping 31.3 points to go along with 11.3 assists per game. It is also worth noting that he is shooting a respectable 44 percent from 3-point-range.

McCollum is averaging 20.8 points and 5.3 assists per outing while connecting on 46 percent of his attempts from long range.

On top of that, the return of Jusuf Nurkic has been a huge addition as well. After being sidelined with an injury for 18 months, Nurkic is averaging a double-double in the bubble with 22.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and three blocks per contest. Simply put, he’s been exactly what the Trail Blazers needed. Let’s also remember that Gary Trent Jr. has also been playing very well, averaging 20.3 points per game on an uber-efficient 62.9 percent from 3-point land.

Coming into the restart, the consensus was that the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans would be in a nip-and-tuck battle for the final playoff spot. But thanks to a season-ending injury to Jared Jackson Jr, the Grizzlies are winless (0-4) since the restart. And the Pels haven’t fared much better, posting a 1-3 mark.

On the heels of a 3-1 start, the Trail Blazers have moved within a half-game of the Grizzlies for the No. 8 spot, and should they sneak into the playoffs, they won’t be daunted by a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Lakers.