The NBA All-Star break has come and gone, and the playoff race begins in earnest for the Portland Trail Blazers as the season enters its home stretch. The team starts the second half on solid footing after a strong finish to the pre-break schedule. While the remaining slate is daunting, including 12 games against teams currently in the top four of their respective conference, Portland should be buoyed by the return of stars Jusuf Nurkic and CJ McCollum from injury.
Today, we examine three key storylines to watch as the Blazers look to make the postseason for the eighth consecutive year.