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The Trail Blazers’ 5-0 road start is turning heads for a reason
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- The Trail Blazers’ 5-0 road start is turning heads for a reason
The Trail Blazers' 5-0 road start is turning heads for a reason originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Portland Trail Blazers are making a strong case that their early-season surge is more than a few favorable nights at home.
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Portland improved to 6-1 with a 132-119 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. More strikingly, the Trail Blazers are 5-0 on the road. That is the second-longest season-opening road winning streak for the franchise since 1990-91, when Portland won its first eight away games.
The Blazers did not sneak past Phoenix. Damian Lillard tied his season high with 25 points, Donovan Clingan added 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Deni Avdija finished with 21 points and 12 assists. Portland took control with a 43-point second quarter and held off a Suns push after halftime.
A road record says something about a team's habits
Early standings can be noisy. A five-game road start is a more demanding signal. Teams have to handle unfamiliar arenas, travel and hostile crowds, and Portland has won every time it has left home so far.
Wednesday's game showed how the Blazers can win in different ways. Lillard supplied the scoring punch, Clingan finished efficiently inside, and Avdija created opportunities for teammates. Portland scored 132 points while shooting better than 50% from the field.
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That balance matters if the team wants to remain near the top of the standings. A hot shooter can carry one night; a group of players contributing across the box score is more useful over a long season.
MORE: Luka Doncic's remarkable 40-point streak gives Lakers another reason for optimism
The next stretch will reveal what this start means
Portland's record has earned attention, but it has not settled the bigger questions about the team's ceiling. The Blazers still need to prove they can sustain this level against tougher opponents and keep producing when shots do not fall as easily.
For now, the road results are real. A 5-0 away mark and a 6-1 overall start give Portland an early identity: a team comfortable winning outside its own building, with multiple players capable of driving the offense.
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