Back in May, when NBA was still mulling its options for 2019/20 season resume, Portland Trail Blazers’ All-Star Damian Lillard said he doesn’t intend to play if he doesn’t get a fair chance to make the playoffs. Lillard ended up getting one, and now he’s using it.

On Thursday night, Lillard led the Blazers to a 125-115 win against Denver Nuggets with a spectacular performance in which he scored 45 points, packed 11 threes, and dished 12 assists. With this win, Portland inched close to last playoff spot in the West, now trailing only half of a game behind Memphis Grizzlies on No.8.

“Y’all know that I’m always optimistic and always see the best in situations like this, and it’s why I said what I said a few months ago when I said, ‘If we don’t have a chance to compete for a playoff spot, I don’t want to play,'” said Lillard after the game. “Because I knew if we did have a chance to play for a playoff spot, it would look something like it looks right now.”

After making the Western Conference Finals last season, the Trail Blazers crumbled in 2019/20 and were out of the playoff picture when NBA suspended its activities due to coronavirus pandemic. However, it wasn’t all their fault as injuries, especially that of standout big man Jusuf Nurkic, played a significant part in Portland’s decline.

But, entering the Orlando bubble, the Blazers were healthy, and it shows so far. They are 3-1 since the restart and their only loss in a tightly contested game against Boston Celtics.

“I knew that once we got here, we’d be one of the teams that would take advantage of it, and so far we have,” Lillard added.

While Blazers’ job is far from over, with San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, and Phoenix Suns also being in the hunt for the postseason, they have a chance to determine their own destiny. And that’s exactly what Lillard wanted. 

The post Damian Lillard Scores 45 Points to Lead Blazers Past Denver appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Portland Trail Blazers might’ve been dealt a blow when they lost center Jusuf Nukic to injury right before the playoffs started. It certainly doesn’t seem to have affected them so far, though.

Portland cruised to a 114-94 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night to go up 2-0 in the series.

The Blazers held Russell Westbrook to one of his worst games in recent memory, holding the Thunder point guard to 5-20 shooting and only 14 points.

Despite Paul George’s solid 27 point night, the Thunder simply couldn’t keep up with Portland’s offensive attack.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum put up big nights for the Blazers, scoring 29 and 33 points, respectively.

As the series shifts to Oklahoma City, the Blazers have a commanding 2-0 series lead and look to be a good bet to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

If Oklahoma City is to have any chance, they’ll have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to stop Portland’s potent offensive attack.

If not, it could be a quick exit from this year’s edition of the playoffs for OKC.

The post Blazers Take 2-0 Series Lead with Win Over Thunder appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Back in May, when NBA was still mulling its options for 2019/20 season resume, Portland Trail Blazers’ All-Star Damian Lillard said he doesn’t intend to play if he doesn’t get a fair chance to make the playoffs. Lillard ended up getting one, and now he’s using it.

On Thursday night, Lillard led the Blazers to a 125-115 win against Denver Nuggets with a spectacular performance in which he scored 45 points, packed 11 threes, and dished 12 assists. With this win, Portland inched close to last playoff spot in the West, now trailing only half of a game behind Memphis Grizzlies on No.8.

“Y’all know that I’m always optimistic and always see the best in situations like this, and it’s why I said what I said a few months ago when I said, ‘If we don’t have a chance to compete for a playoff spot, I don’t want to play,'” said Lillard after the game. “Because I knew if we did have a chance to play for a playoff spot, it would look something like it looks right now.”

After making the Western Conference Finals last season, the Trail Blazers crumbled in 2019/20 and were out of the playoff picture when NBA suspended its activities due to coronavirus pandemic. However, it wasn’t all their fault as injuries, especially that of standout big man Jusuf Nurkic, played a significant part in Portland’s decline.

But, entering the Orlando bubble, the Blazers were healthy, and it shows so far. They are 3-1 since the restart and their only loss in a tightly contested game against Boston Celtics.

“I knew that once we got here, we’d be one of the teams that would take advantage of it, and so far we have,” Lillard added.

While Blazers’ job is far from over, with San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans, and Phoenix Suns also being in the hunt for the postseason, they have a chance to determine their own destiny. And that’s exactly what Lillard wanted. 

The post Damian Lillard Scores 45 Points to Lead Blazers Past Denver appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Portland Trail Blazers might’ve been dealt a blow when they lost center Jusuf Nukic to injury right before the playoffs started. It certainly doesn’t seem to have affected them so far, though.

Portland cruised to a 114-94 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night to go up 2-0 in the series.

The Blazers held Russell Westbrook to one of his worst games in recent memory, holding the Thunder point guard to 5-20 shooting and only 14 points.

Despite Paul George’s solid 27 point night, the Thunder simply couldn’t keep up with Portland’s offensive attack.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum put up big nights for the Blazers, scoring 29 and 33 points, respectively.

As the series shifts to Oklahoma City, the Blazers have a commanding 2-0 series lead and look to be a good bet to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

If Oklahoma City is to have any chance, they’ll have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to stop Portland’s potent offensive attack.

If not, it could be a quick exit from this year’s edition of the playoffs for OKC.

The post Blazers Take 2-0 Series Lead with Win Over Thunder appeared first on SportzBonanza.