Damian Lillard Scores 34 as Trailblazers Beat Lakers

Portland Trailblazers point guard Damian Lillard has been on fire since the NBA restart. In the eight games that concluded the regular season, Lillard averaged 33.9 points per game, which included performances of 51 and 61 points in consecutive games against Philadelphia and Dallas. The Blazers were 6-2 in those eight games, and just made it into the playoffs as the Western Conference #8 seed.

That meant that Portland would play the top seeded Los Angeles Lakers in Round 1. It was the Lakers’ first playoff game with LeBron James, and the teams’ first playoff game since 2013. Lillard scored 34 points to lead the Blazers to a surprising 100-93 victory over L.A. Jusuf Nurkic added 16 points and 15 rebounds for Portland. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 28 points while James had a triple double with 23 points, 17 rebounds, and 16 assists.

Lillard has established himself as an elite player in the NBA, a reputation that will be cemented further with any Blazers’ success in the playoffs. Lillard finished the regular season with a 30 points per game average (3rd in the league) and 8.0 assists per game (5th).

Meanwhile, the sky high hopes of the Lakers winning an NBA title after not making the playoffs for years have either taken a hit or been grounded in the reality that they have their work cut out for them despite a 52-19 regular season record. The Lakers were just 3-5 in the bubble, and while they didn’t have a lot to play for after clinching the top seed in the west with a victory over Utah on August 3rd, it’s hard to regain the intensity needed to win after going on cruise control.

The series resumes on August 20th.