Behind the dynamic backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Portland Trail Blazers are the hottest team in the NBA not named the Houston Rockets.

Their six-game winning streak has propelled them into third place in the Western Conference and 1.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With less than 20 games remaining, the Trail Blazers have a very good shot of reaching the postseason for the fifth consecutive season. Lillard has turned himself into a clutch-time assassin with dagger range out to 94 feet.

Despite struggling from the field for most of the game against Minnesota, Damian Lillard stepped up big time down the stretch and helped put the Timberwolves away in a much-needed game for the Trail Blazers.

When he has the ball in his hands, Lillard can do a bit of everything. Catch-and-shoot? Check. Shoot off the dribble? Check. Set his teammates up to score? Check, again. Lillard is so good by himself, he almost guarantees his team will make the postseason in the deep and brutal Western Conference.

When you add McCollum into the mix, they really begin to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. McCollum is just as savage as Lillard, giving opponents nightmares as they try to gameplan against him. He's a sharpshooter from the outside, knocking down over 41 percent of his three-pointers for the third consecutive year, per basketball-reference. Even though he's only 6-foot-3, he more than makes up for his lack of size thanks to his bulldog mentality. He won't back down from anyone and leaves everything he has on the court every single night.

Portland is also quietly having an excellent season defensively. The Trail Blazers rank seventh in the league with a defensive rating of 104.2 and do it by methodically taking care of business. They're fourth in the NBA by only allowing 42.1 points in the paint and they grab 78.7 percent of available defensive rebounds, all per NBA.com.

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Unfortunately for Portland, troubles arise when you look at the rest of their roster. Outside of their backcourt, they don't have many other contributors who can help push this team over the top.

That’s not to say they don't have good players on their roster because that would be misleading and inaccurate. However, the lack of other great talent is extremely problematic, as it puts all of the pressure on McCollum and Lillard to play well. And when they don't, it's a long night for the Trail Blazers.

The season is very long and is full of ups and downs for everyone. Right now, Portland is on a hot streak, but that surely won't last the rest of the season.

With games against the Warriors, Celtics, Cavaliers and Rockets, among others, remaining, the Trail Blazers will be tested down the stretch. It should be enough to push them out of home court advantage in the first round, but not out of a comfortable spot in the playoffs.