The Portland Trail Blazers are 13-25 on the season, good enough for No. 13 in the Western Conference standings and a tie for the sixth-worst record in the NBA (they’re tied with the Brooklyn Nets at that spot, who come to town Tuesday in a crucial showdown on the road to the NBA Draft Lottery in May).
Portland and its fanbase are on their way to a fourth consecutive losing season as they wade through the difficult, early stages of the rebuild.
Meanwhile, in Durham, North Carolina, Cooper Flagg continues to carve up the college basketball world during his freshman season at Duke University, emerging as a possible savior to all NBA franchises who have fallen on hard times…