Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan reacts after making a basket. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Donovan Clingan Shares Very Clear Blazers Goal

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 9:05 PM ET

Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan loves playing basketball at this time of the year, as evidenced by his March Madness success with the UConn Huskies.

While he is playing at a different level now, Clingan knows what the mission is for the Blazers as the schedule winds down for the regular season.

“Win every game,” Clingan said via The Oregonian reporter Joe Freeman. “Win every game, try to work our way up to seven. Whatever we’ve got to do to get a home game and make the playoffs, we’re going to try to do that."

Blazers Need More Wins Down the Stretch

Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Blazers are 35-36, putting them one game under .500 and in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings, which is exactly where they want to be knowing they are almost locked into one of the final three spots in the Play-In tournament at this point in the season.

Clingan spoke after the team's win against the Minnesota Timberwolves and shared what he thinks is the formula to coming out on top in these final 11 games of the season.

“Get stops, take care of the ball, really just stick together,” Clingan said via Freeman. “It was loud in the arena tonight … so we just (had) to communicate and stick together.”

Arenas are only going to get louder from here on out and the lights will only get brighter for the Blazers, who haven't had a postseason appearance since 2021. This group hasn't experienced the playoffs together yet, but they are learning how to win these games in real time.

They haven't always been successful against these playoff-caliber opponents, but a victory against the Wolves is a step in the right direction, even if there may be an asterisk on it as Anthony Edwards didn't play.

The Blazers will take the wins where they can get them at this point in the season as it turns into fuel to get them as far as they can.

The Blazers will face one of their tougher tests in the final few weeks of the season when they take on Nikola Jokic and the division rival Denver Nuggets to close out their five-game road trip. Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 p.m. PT inside Ball Arena in Denver. Fans can watch the game on Rip City Sports Network or stream it on NBA League Pass.

This article first appeared on Portland Trail Blazers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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