The Portland Trail Blazers finish off their regular season schedule by hosting the New Orleans Pelicans tonight at the Moda Center. Neither team will have much to play for -- the Trail Blazers are locked into the eighth seed and a first round playoff matchup with the Warriors while the Pelicans were eliminated from postseason two weeks ago -- though that was also the case in Monday night's game versus the Spurs, and that ended up being an entertaining affair.
But before we turn the page on the regular season, let's take one last look at where the Trail Blazers ended up in the weekly NBA Power Rankings. Portland has made steady improvements in the rankings as of late thanks to a post All-Star break run, the result of which being that they finished the regular season with generally the same rank as they started the season with. That's an accomplishment considering where they were at in the first half of the season, though no real consolation for those who hoped Portland could improve upon their performance during the 2015-16 season.
So here's how the Trail Blazers end the 2016-17 regular season in this year's Power Rankings...
• Marc Stein of ESPN has the Trail Blazers finishing at No. 11, two spots worse than last week and their initial ranking this season…
Stein has the Trail Blazers behind the Wizards at No. 10 and ahead of the Bucks at No. 12.• Jon Schuhmann of NBA.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 11 to end the season, unchanged from last week and one spot worse than their original ranking this season…
Schuhmann has the Trail Blazers behind the Thunder at No. 10 and ahead of the Heat at No. 12. • Matt Moore of CBSSports.com also has the Trail Blazers at No. 11 this week, four spots worse than last week but three spots better thank their initial ranking this season…
Moore has the Trail Blazers behind the Wizards at No. 10 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 12. • Jeremy Woo of SI.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 12 this week, two spots better than last week but five spots worse than their initial ranking this season…
Woo has the Trail Blazers behind the Grizzlies at No. 11 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 13.• Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, in rankings posted on April 3, has the Trail Blazers at No. 11, unchanged from last week and one spot worse than their ranking at the start of the season…
Hughes has the Trail Blazers behind the Thunder at No. 10 and ahead of the Bucks at No. 12.• Jonas Nader at Rotoworld has the Trail Blazers at No. 11, one spot worse than last week and eight spots worse than their initial ranking…
Nader has the Trail Blazers behind the Thunder at No. 10 and ahead of the Hawks at No. 12. • Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com has the Trail Blazers at No. 11 this week, unchanged from last week and one spot better than their initial ranking…
Helin has the Trail Blazers behind the Thunder at No. 10 and ahead of the Bucks at No. 12.• AJ Neuharth-Keusch at USA Today has the Trail Blazers at No. 14 this week, one spot worse than last week (USA Today was very inconsistent in posting Power Rankings this season, so no idea what Portland’s initial ranking was)…
Neuharth-Keusch has the Trail Blazers behind the Hawks at No. 13 and ahead of the Pacers at No. 15.