In back-to-back home games, the Portland Trail Blazers defeated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Damian Lillard and the Blazers are not as injury-riddled as the Thunder, but they are without the pace-changing Ja Morant, who was off to an efficient start through four games — 43 percent from 3 and 59 percent from 2 blows Morant's career highs out of the water. The Blazers will be even more dangerous when he returns.

This is the most talented Portland team Lillard has played on since he was second in command with LaMarcus Aldridge. He is returning from an Achilles tear that kept him out the entire last year. Lillard is back and still the leader, but the heavy-lifting days are over.

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Portland needed Lillard and CJ McCollum to go for a gazillion points and 30-foot bombs to compete. Lillard still has deep range in his game (see below), but there's another star in Portland catapulting the Blazers to contender status.

The Portland Trailblazers are serious contenders

Lillard's range opens the floor for everybody, but it does wonders for downhill forces. Deni Avdija, Portland's only All-Star outside of Lillard since 2015, is loving the Lillard experience.

"He can pull up from half-court. He spaces the floor," Avdija said in a postgame interview with NBC. "He makes the right decisions, and you know Dame is a great basketball player ... He makes everybody better."

The result of the two magnet-fits is the third-best offense in the NBA. Only the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs have a better offense currently. It starts with Lillard's range, but Portland's flow is immaculate.

How Advija would be used was a large talking point headed into the season. He was ball-dominant last year en route to an All-Star appearance, and with Lillard and Morant in the mix, would the keys be stripped from Advija? The answer was an ear-ringing nope.

Advija still has the ball 27 percent of the time compared to 35 last year, per Databallr. It's a drop, but not steep enough to not know who's the No. 1 option. He's taking the most shots on the team and continues to pressure the rim like a madman. Advija is second in drives per game at 25.

Advija has not stopped Lillard from being a critical piece. They seamlessly flow into actions involving both players. There does not seem to be a concern about who brings the ball up, or who is the play finisher in a certain set. Both guys get their rhythm, having their hands in the ball, and Morant wasn't missing out either.

That's a testament to Portland's first-year head coach, Micah Nori. Nori spent the last five seasons as one of the best assistant coaches in Minnesota. He is making the most of his opportunity. He better land an extension at the All-Star break with the way he's leading the troops!

Portland is not lacking in the role player department. They have freaking Jrue Holiday coming off the bench! The two-time champion is battle-tested and still a plug-and-play guy. Need him to come off the bench and play 30-plus minutes? Cool. Need him to hound the top scorers in basketball? Happily. Holiday is also drilling a ridiculous 44 percent of his triples. He's not the only 3-and-D star on the team.

Hello, Toumani Camara. I wouldn't have believed you if you told me he was going to be a high-volume sniper from deep. I was dead wrong. Camara is letting fly at all costs. Teams keep reluctantly closing out on him like he's not shooting 43 percent on nearly seven attempts. It's time to respect the jumper. He doesn't miss from 2-point range either. His 67 true shooting percentage is 13th in the league.

Camara's elite defense has not translated to an elite Blazers defense, but Donovan Clingan's impact is felt. Teams only shoot 28 percent of their shots at the rim against Portland (seventh), per Cleaning the Glass. That's largely due to Clingan's sturdiness and Robert William's energy. Williams is defending the paint without fouling. He's been one of the best backup bigs in hoops. Williams might've been a selling point at the deadline, but with the way Portland is playing, he should be around for another playoff run.

Scoot Henderson is not having the impact many thought he could. After an inferno playoff series versus the Spurs last season and brilliant preseason shot-making, this was supposed to be Henderson's year. He was always going to be playing behind Lillard and Morant this year, so maybe it was unrealistic to expect the fourth-year player to do what he was projected to do coming out of the G League Ignite program. Henderson's growth stagnating and Morant's hamstring injury are the only things plaguing Portland's season.

Time will tell if they can really compete with the big dogs. The Spurs seem bulletproof, but no one else in the West appears to be a step above. The Blazers have already beaten and played the No. 1 seed Lakers close. Injuries have already changed the trajectory of this season for teams like the Thunder.

What we do know is Lillard is happy to be back home on a team that can compete for something. He hasn't donned a Trail Blazers jersey with real hope in a roster in a long time. Lillard is healthy and has an opportunity to make some noise.