On this edition of The Blazers Balcony, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporters Brooke Olzendam and Casey Holdahl discuss...

• The Trail Blazers having the best record in the NBA since the start of 2026

• Having a good team to root for

• Donovan Clingan taking a big step this season

• Jerami Grant picking up right where he left off

• Whether the Blazers can get out of the play-in and get into the playoffs

• Putting wins above individual performances

• The reasons to think Portland's recent success is sustainable

• Deni Avdija finishing fifth in 2026 NBA All-Star starters fan voting but finishing seventh in the total vote

• Winter days, Brooke going to a live taping of the Drew Barrymore Show, the things we say that no one else understands, Jon Lovitz gifs, Deni's ice cream, Duop's British accent and Cameo requests, turtlenecks and "shackets," Mark Normand has a wife and baby, New Brunswick to New York

On this edition of The Blazers Balcony, Brooke Olzendam and Casey Holdahl discuss...

• The Trail Blazers ending a five-game winning streak and a four-game homestand with a loss to the Knicks

• Losing Deni Avdija to a back injury in the fourth quarter of the loss to New York

• Trail Blazers, more shorthanded than usual, come up short versus the Warriors

• If the Blazers lost to the Warriors so no one would have to do a non-Brooke post-game interview

• Figuring out how to play with Avdija out of the lineup and if they're at a breaking point with regard to injuries

• Jrue Holiday's return and the potential for other players to rejoin the rotation with four of the next five games at home

• The upcoming schedule the next two weeks

• the potholes are getting worse, Portland's locker room debating which language is the most beautiful, sci-fi sucks, Brooke's plea for "Heated Rivalry," retelling the Nikki Glasser/Ian Karmel Golden Globes Trail Blazers joke, Brooke meets Sean Penn, "I love wrinkly old men," absence resulting in annoyance, "the bad back broadcast," friend group chat etiquette, comp ticket etiquette and just keeping your mouth shut

On this edition of The Blazers Balcony, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Brooke Olzendam and Casey Holdahl discuss...

• The Trail Blazers starting a three-game road trip with the loss to the Thunder

• Spending New Years in Oklahoma City

• Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan leading the way

• Bouncing back to defeat the Pelicans in New Orleans

• One of the best wins of the season versus the Spurs in San Antonio

• Deni's birthday triple-double and Donovan's career-high versus the Spurs

• A rare blowout versus the Jazz on Monday to start a home-heavy January

• Deni Avdija is doing a bit of everything and is finally being recognized for his efforts

• Cornhole competition, Donovan's three-point shooting, Caleb Love keeps shooting, post-game interview adjustments and Brooke sitting out the trip to San Francisco