FILE – In this Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018 file photo, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, dribbles past Los Angeles Clippers forward Wesley Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles. The Trail Blazers have been known for their post-All-Star break revivals for the past two seasons. Those late-season rallies will no doubt be an ongoing theme in the congested Western Conference playoff race once Portland resumes the season on Friday, Feb. 23,2018 in Utah. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Trail Blazers have enjoyed post-All-Star break revivals the past two seasons.
Those late-season rallies will no doubt be an ongoing theme in the congested Western Conference playoff race once Portland resumes play on Friday in Utah.
“I mean, I think that’s in the back of our minds. We know that we’re usually a better team in the second half of the season,” Portland guard Damian Lillard said. “We can’t just go into it saying, ‘All right, we’re always good at this part of the season.’ I think mentally we have to understand how close of a race it is and that we’ve got to be sharp all the way through.”
Portland is 32-26 at the break, tied for sixth in the West, which is better off than it was last season at the same point.
But the Blazers are one of five teams in the West with 26 losses. The Warriors and Houston Rockets sit comfortably atop the standings with the next eight teams jostling for position.
The Blazers headed into the All-Star Game with a 123-117 victory over Golden State, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Warriors. Lillard had 44 points, his third straight game with 39 or more and the best scoring stretch of his career. His 133 points over the last three games is the best such run in franchise history.
Afterward, Lillard sounded like he was taking it upon himself to improve the Blazers’ playoff position.
“Each season, it’s always a few teams that fall by the wayside and we’ve just got to make sure we’re not one of them,” he said. “As a leader, I’ve got to be the guy to lead that charge.”
In 2015-16, Portland was 27-27 at the All-Star break after winning eight of nine games going into it. The Blazers finished the regular season 44-38 and in fifth place in the West. They got past the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Warriors in the conference semifinals.
Last season, Portland lost three straight games to go into the break at 23-33. Shortly thereafter, an overtime loss at Detroit put them 11 games under .500.
But in March, Portland caught fire and went 13-3, best in the NBA. Lillard was named the conference’s Player of the Month, averaging 29.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.4 steals in 16 games. Terry Stotts was named Coach of the Month.
Center Jusuf Nurkic, who came to Portland in a trade a handful of days before the All-Star break, went on to average 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 20 games with the Blazers. Portland was 14-5 with the 7-footer in the starting lineup.
Portland made the playoffs for the fourth straight season, but fell in the opening round to the Warriors.
This season, Portland is in the thick of the race. Lillard leads the team with 26.1 points per game, sixth in the league, while also averaging 6.6 assists. Backcourt teammate CJ McCollum is averaging 21.7 points, and Nurkic is at 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Stotts was asked just before the break whether he was happy with the team’s position.
“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. We’ve got a lot of teams out there fighting for playoff spots,” the coach said. “It’s not about where we are. It’s about where we’re headed.”