Mike Richman here, the host of the daily Locked On Blazers podcast, with your daily Locked On Blazers newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Blazers and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
The Trail Blazers Are Playing Better Basketball
Jan 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) chases the loose ball as Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) and forward Naji Marshall (13) look on during the first quarter at the American Airlines Center. | Jerome Miron/Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The final four minutes of Thursday night’s loss in Dallas were a mess. The Portland Trail Blazers had responded to numerous second half charges to hold off the shorthanded Mavericks and built a 10-point lead with 4:33 remaining.
The Blazers held a double-digit lead and were staring down a chance to wrap up their early January road swing at 3-2. Then it all went sideways. The Mavericks scored 16 unanswered points to turn a 10 point deficit into a six point lead. Nearly every call during that stretch went in favor of the home team, including a strange replay challenge that took away what seemed to be obvious free throws and turned them into a non-shooting foul. An uneven whistle wasn’t the only culprit, however.
Chauncey Billups made an odd decision to go with a center-less small ball lineup that couldn’t generate any distinct advantages on offense and couldn’t grab a defensive rebound against Mavericks center Dereck Lively. And to top it off Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe made a series of poor choices on tough jumpers in crunch time, failing to protect the lead by virtue of taking challenging, one-on-one shots.
The holy trinity of weird reffing, odd coaching and bad shooting. That’s how you lose 10 point lead at crunch time.
AND YET
Despite that debacle the Trail Blazers are still playing their best basketball of the season right now. It’s true! Even if it doesn’t feel like it. The road swing included a win at Milwaukee and a blowout victory in New Orleans sandwiched between competitive losses against the Lakers, Pistons and Mavericks.
Toumani Camara is finding his footing on offense, adding to his hounding defensive presence. Deni Avdija is settling into his role and has been the Blazers best player over the past month. Anfernee Simons is shaking off early seasons bricks with stronger shooting nights. Shaedon Sharpe looks closer to a complete offensive player every week.
The loss in Dallas was a brutal coda to a solid trip away from Portland. The Blazers can head back home knowing their playing their best basketball of the season.
Jan 4, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts after making a three point basket against the Atlanta Hawks during the first half at Intuit Dome. | Kiyoshi Mio/Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Kawhi Leonard left the Clippers behind in Denver on Wednesday, he travelled solo back to Los Angeles to meet his family as they evacuated their home in the Pacific Palisades. As of Thursday, the Palisades Fire — the biggest of the five separate fires burning in L.A. — has scorched through close to 20,000 acres of land, homes, buildings and infrastructure. Leonard’s family and their home are safe, and because natural disasters thankfully still trump the audience demand for athlete participation, Leonard’s also able to be away from the team and focus on what’s most important.
Not to draw too flimsy a point between disaster and basketball, but Leonard’s return to the Clippers had been top of mind for me prior to the fires, and his necessary absence now offers another lens to view his prolonged absence this season.
After he was pulled from Team USA’s Olympic play this summer, Leonard underwent a surgical procedure on his right knee. It’s same knee he had surgically repaired after an ACL tear in 2021 and a meniscus tear in April 2023, as well as the quad injury that eventually led to him parting ways with the Spurs over concerns of recovery mismanagement.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Replay The Portland Trail Blazers battled the Dallas Mavericks, with notable performances from Shaedon Sharpe and Deandre Ayton. Relive the game highlights and key stats in this detailed recap. (Blazer’s Edge)
Roster The Trail Blazers’ roster dynamics are shifting with the integration of Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan. Discover how these additions impact the team’s strategy in this insightful analysis. (Blazer’s Edge)
Ranking As the trade deadline approaches, the Portland Trail Blazers’ position in the NBA power rankings is under scrutiny. See where they stand and what moves might influence their future in this evaluation. (Bleacher Report)
Must Read Steve Kerr and JJ Redick share the impact of the Los Angeles fires on their families’ lives. (ESPN)
Biz Aging NBA stars like Jimmy Butler may be in for a rude awakening. (Forbes)
Friday’s NBA Fantasy Basketball Slate: Injury Updates and Streaming Options
Jan 8, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) drives against Washington Wizards forward Richaun Holmes (22) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher/Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The NBA action continues with seven games on tap for Friday, and there’s no shortage of intriguing storylines to follow. Let’s dive into the key matchups and player situations that fantasy managers need to keep an eye on.
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Philadelphia 76ers
The Pelicans-Sixers matchup is plagued by absences on both sides. For New Orleans, Herb Jones (shoulder), Brandon Ingram, and Trey Murphy (ankle) are all sidelined. However, Zion Williamson is set to return after sitting out the previous game. The Sixers will continue to be without Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, and KJ Martin.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Orlando Magic
The Magic are on a back-to-back, while the Bucks are in a favorable schedule spot. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Khris Middleton are all listed as probable for Milwaukee. Orlando will be without Gary Harris, and Jalen Suggs is expected to remain sidelined. Paolo Banchero is reportedly set to return for this game.
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Blazers podcasts.
Deni Avdija Is Finding His Rhythm But Trail Blazers Lose in Memphis The good news: Deni Avdija is finding his footing. The bad news: Pretty much everything else.
Anfernee Simons Delivers in the Clutch as Trail Blazers Get Bounce Back Win in Houston Anfernee Simons scored 15 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Trail Blazers avenged an ugly loss on Friday night with a clutch win over the same Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Can the Trail Blazers Follow The Houston Rockets Rebuild Path? | Game Preview with Locked On Rockets A crossover edition of the show with Jackson Gatlin of Locked On Rockets, previewing the Trail Blazers two games against the Rockets on Friday and Saturday.
