The Brief Case

Going 1-1 After The Break, Up And Down Injuries And Sidy Gets Converted On The Brief Case, Episode 194

Send a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers beat reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers getting blown out by the Denver Nuggets in their first game back from the All-Star break• Blowouts happen, 53-point losses should not• Portland bouncing back by holding the Phoenix Suns to just 77 points in a win Sunday night• If the Trail Blazers are going to need to start winning consistently to move up in the play-in race• Deni Avdija leaves the game once again with a lower back injury• Matisse Thybulle, Kris Murray and Blake Wesley return• Sidy Cissoko has his two-way contract converted to a full NBA contract• Unfortunately to make room for Sidy the Trail Blazers had to waive Rayan Rupert• With most of the team healthy, Yang Hansen, Caleb Love and Javonte Cooke head to the Rip City Remix

Dame Wins Another All-Star Three-Point Contest, Donovan and Hansen Show Out And Deni Up Next On The Brief Case, Episode 193

Send a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl, on location in Los Angeles for the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, discusses...• The Portland Trail Blazers having a great All-Star Weekend thus far• Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen performing well against each other in the Castrol Rising Stars on All-Star Friday night at Intuit Dome• What spending time at All-Star Weekend can do for young players• Damian Lillard, despite not having played this season, wins his third Three-Point Contest at the 2026 NBA All-Star Saturday night• Why Damian Lillard decided to compete in the Three-Point Contest• Dame becomes one of three players to win the even three times, which almost guarantees he'll try for a fourth• Dame winning the Three-Point Contest is just another reason to be enthusiastic about the Trail Blazers going forward• Deni Avdija prepares to play in his first NBA All-Star Game Sunday night

Three-Straight Wins To End A Homestand, Scoot and Deni Return And Dame Joins The All-Star Three-Point Contest On The Brief Case, Episode 192

Send a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers defeating the Grizzlies 135-155 Friday night at Moda Center in Scoot Henderson's first game of the season• It might have taken a long time for Scoot Henderson to make his 2025-26 season debut, but it didn't take him much time to have an impact once he did• Shaedon Sharpe is sidelined with a calf injury • Trail Blazers sweep a back-to-back with the Grizzlies by winning the second matchup on Saturday, also at Moda Center• Portland rallies in the fourth in the kind of game they'll need to win if they're to make a run after the All-Star break• The team will have to make a decision soon about two-way players Caleb Love and Sidy Cissoko• Bad to the Bone at Spirit Mountain• Portland goes ham in the third quarter to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night at Moda Center to finish off a five-game homestand with three-straight wins• Deni Avdija returns to the lineup versus the Sixers and looks like his old self• Monday's win being the first game this season where Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Robert Williams III and Scoot Henderson all played• Toumani Camara might be the biggest beneficiary of injured players returning after posting career highs in scoring and three-pointers made in the win versus the 76ers• The Blazers are as healthy as they've been this season, they're rested and have something to play for. Can they go on a run after the All-Star break? • Damian Lillard signs on to compete in the 2026 Three-Point Contest Saturday (afternoon) at All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles• Dame joins Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen at All-Star Weekend• All-Star Saturday and Sunday starting in the afternoon rather than the evening due to the Winter Olympics

Deni Is An All-Star, Trading For Vit Krejci And Blake Wesley Returns To The Lineup On The Brief Case, Episode 191

Send a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• Deni Avdija being named to the 2026 NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his career• Needing to do a little bit extra in order to make your first All-Star roster• The Trail Blazers having at least three players at the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend between Avdija, Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen• The Trail Blazers trading for 6-8 guard/forward Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Duop Reath and two second-round picks• Krejci providing three-point shooting and playmaking, two things the Trail Blazers desperately need• Bidding a fond farewell to Duop Reath, one of the best people you'll find in the NBA or otherwise• Portland's losing streak extending to five games with a loss to the Cavaliers at Moda Center on Sunday• Blake Wesley returning to the lineup Sunday after missing the last few months with a broken foot• Scoot Henderson also getting close to making his debut after missing the first part of the season with a hamstring injury

Splitting A Back-To-Back To Finish A Homestand, A Snowy East Coast Road Trip And A Conversation With Sidy Cissoko On The Brief Case, Episode 190

Send a textOn this edition of The Brief Case, presented by Spirit Mountain Casino, Trail Blazers reporter/Insider Casey Holdahl discusses...• The Trail Blazers starting an all Moda Center back-to-back with a rare victory versus the Miami Heat in Portland• Portland finishing up a stretch of playing eight of 10 games at home with a tough start and a tough finish in a loss to the Toronto Raptors Friday night• Heading out for a three-game Eastern Conference road trip with stops in Boston, Washington, DC and New York City• The snow is falling as the east coast braces for a winter storm and how that might impact the Trail Blazers• A conversation with Trail Blazers guard/forward Sidy Cissoko after practice at Boston University on Sunday about how the team is playing, particularly since the start of 2026, gaining experience through the course of the season, wanting to play 110 percent, the job of a two-way player, where he’s improved the most this season, trying to be more like Toumani Camara, starting as a two-way, team chemistry, having an international locker room, playing with an attitude, coming up on the 50-game limit as a two-way player, wanting to get the Trail Blazers back to the playoffs and the proper pronunciation of “Sidy Cissoko.”