Trail Blazers Face First Major Stint Of Adversity Under Micah Nori

The Portland Trail Blazers have enjoyed a promising start to the 2026-27 season, showing signs that they could be a team capable of making some noise in the Western Conference. However, they are now facing their first real test of adversity after suffering consecutive losses for the first time this season.

Portland dropped a close game against the Los Angeles Lakers before following it up with a much more disappointing performance against the San Antonio Spurs. The Blazers fell 124-118 to Los Angeles and then suffered a 125-103 loss to San Antonio, marking their first two-game losing streak of the campaign.

While two losses are hardly a reason to panic this early in the season, how Portland responds will be worth monitoring. The Blazers had built some positive momentum through the opening stretch, making these recent results an opportunity to see how much this group has grown and how it handles the inevitable ups and downs of an NBA season.

There are certainly things that need to be cleaned up. The loss to San Antonio was particularly concerning, as Portland struggled to keep pace with a talented Spurs team. When things are going well, the Blazers have shown an ability to compete with quality opponents. Now, they need to prove they can respond when things aren't going their way.

Unfortunately, the schedule isn't doing them any favors. Portland's next two games will both come against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The first matchup is scheduled for Tuesday, followed by another meeting on Wednesday. Facing the same opponent twice in such a short span presents a difficult challenge, especially considering the level Oklahoma City has played at.

The Thunder have established themselves as one of the toughest teams in the league despite the major injuries the team is fighting through, and the Blazers will need to be considerably better than they were against San Antonio if they want to come away with a win.

At the same time, these are exactly the types of games that can help a new team develop. Portland has aspirations of becoming a legitimate playoff contender, and navigating difficult stretches against elite competition is part of that process.

The Blazers don't need to overreact to two losses, but they also cannot afford to let a short losing streak turn into something more significant. Their upcoming back-to-back against Oklahoma City will provide an early measuring stick for how this group handles adversity.

The start has been encouraging, but Portland is about to find out just how much work remains