Blazers held players-only meeting after 4th-straight loss

While much of the attention went to the apparent back injury to star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the Portland Trail Blazers lost their fourth-straight game on Wednesday night.

The 103-90 defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs marks the first time all season that the Blazers have lost four in a row, and until a month ago they hadn't even lost three straight. 

In all, Portland is 6-8 in its past 14 games, dropping them to fifth in the Western Conference, closer to sixth than home-court advantage. While their position as a playoff team is relatively safe, nobody wants to limp into the playoffs.

As such, the team held its first players-only meeting following Wednesday's loss, hoping to re-focus and recapture their early spark.

The players had a post-game hash-out session that was initiated by Damian Lillard, CSNNW.com was told.

Earl Watson, Mo Williams and Dorell Wright were amongst some of the players to vocally address what was going on and what needed to change from here on out, we’re told.

“I just felt like it was something that needed to be said,” Lillard responded when ask why he initiated the dialogue. “At some point, it’s up to the players.”

As Eye on Basketball points out, however, it's unlikely anything is wrong with the Blazers right now. Rather, they simply couldn't stay as hot as they started, especially with a borderline bottom-10 defense.

They're obviously still a dangerous team, but they seem much closer to a 42-23 (.646) squad, as they are now, than the 36-15 (.706) unit they were a month ago.