After losing three-straight, five of their last six and seven of their last 10, the Portland Trail Blazers now find themselves in a tie for sixth in the Western Conference with 14 games to play. So if they want to hold off the teams below them in the standings and avoid the play-in tournament, they’ll need to turn their recent fortunes.
Portland will host one of those teams nipping at their heels, the Memphis Grizzlies, the team they defeated in the 2020 play-in tournament, in consecutive games starting with a meeting Friday at the Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.