The Portland Trail Blazers squandered another encouraging performance from Damian Lillard on Wednesday, losing to the Phoenix Suns 119-109 at Footprint Center. The loss comes about 24 hours after they fell in similarly competitive yet frustrating fashion to the LA Clippers, moving the Blazers to 5-7 on the regular season—and an unnerving 0-6 on the road.

Chauncey Billups wasn't entirely dismayed by his team's seemingly dire circumstances, though. Asked to assess Portland's progress three weeks into 2021-22, he even offered an encouraging status report.

“I'm happy with where we are,” Billups said. “Of course I wish we were winning more games on the road, or a game on the road, at this point. But I'm very happy with where we are, we just have to keep going.”

The Blazers' rookie head coach, to be clear, wasn't seeing all roses.

Billups lamented Portland's mental mistakes defensively. He noted the additional importance of consistently “playing from the neck up” away from home. He lauded his players' effort on the second leg of a brutal back-to-back, but questioned why it hasn't always been at that level in the season's early going. Billups even admitted some culpability in Frank Kaminsky, getting extra burn for Phoenix due to DeAndre Ayton's absence, going off for a career-high 31 points.

Part of Billups' confident outlook, though, stems from knowing that he won't let up until the Blazers reach the level he knows they can.

“It makes it tough at times, it makes it very tough at times because you're talking about the same defensive breakdowns game to game to game,” he said. “But I ain't letting off the gas, though. I know what it takes to win and the good teams do it every night. I ain't letting off the gas. It just is what it is.”

Lillard looked fast and explosive against Phoenix, living at the rim and mid-range en route to 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists on 12-of-23 shooting. Larry Nance Jr. played arguably his best game of the season, spearheading small-ball units at center that kept Portland within striking distance late. Nassir Little's athleticism and physicality was a major presence on both ends. Billups legitimately loved the Blazers' engagement and intensity.

He made sure to point out Portland's anomalous 7-of-30 shooting from beyond the arc. The defense will no doubt get more comfortable toggling strategies mid-game as the Blazers do it more and more. Billups again dropped bigs back to the paint on the majority of ball screens on Wednesday, a significant change from the new status quo that affects all five defenders on the floor. Anfernee Simons won't shoot 1-of-9 from the field many more times over the season's remainder.

Portland is clearly still a work in progress. Road-game ignominy and wild real-time fluctuations of defensive performance be damned, though, Billups still sees reasons to be pleased with the Blazers, and rightfully so—at least if long-term expectations are realistic.