Despite going 1-3 over the past week, the Portland Trail Blazers moved up a little in the latest power rankings from NBA.com.

The Blazers produced two competitive losses against the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks, a not-so-competitive loss against the Miami Heat, and a lopsided win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Those results, combined with the fast-fading Brooklyn Nets, were enough for NBA.com writer John Schuhmann to move the Blazers from No. 25 to No. 24.

In his write-up about the Blazers, Schuhmann highlighted the play of recent Blazer of the Week recipient Deni Avdija, who has provided a jolt to the starting lineup.

Jerami Grant has missed the last seven games, with Deni Avdija replacing him in the starting lineup. The two lineups have played almost the same number of minutes (125 vs. 122), with the Avdija lineup having been much better. It outscored the Blazers’ opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions over 74 minutes on the five-game trip before Deandre Ayton missed their loss to the Heat over the weekend.

Schuhmann also highlighted the Blazers’ improving 3-point percentage, which really translates to an improvement from Anfernee Simons.

The Blazers have shot 36% from 3-point range over their last eight games, an improvement from 33% before that. But the improvement is largely about one guy. While everybody else on the team has combined to shoot 60-for-194 (31%) from beyond the arc over these last eight games, Anfernee Simons is 39-for-82 (48%).

The Nets occupied the No. 24 spot last week, but dropped to No. 26 this week amid a five-game losing streak.

Brooklyn is Portland’s next opponent. The teams face off Tuesday at the Moda Center, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific.