Portland Trail Blazers’ All-Star Damian Lillard suffered a knee injury during Monday’s 135-115 loss to Los Angeles Lakers and, according to the team, will miss must-win Game 5 on Wednesday.

Lillard got injured midway through the third quarter after landing awkwardly during a drive to the basket. The 30-year-old guard went to the locker room after the possession before returning to court several minutes after. However, he exited the game again after several plays and did not return.

Following the game, Lillard underwent an MRI, but according to the team, the results were “inconclusive.” He underwent a second MRI later on Tuesday, which revealed a knee strain.

After the most recent loss, Blazers find themselves on the brink of elimination as Lakers took 3-1 lead in the series. The Game 5 is set to tip-off on Wednesday, and without Damian Lillard, Portland’s chances of surviving seem slim.

Lillard has been phenomenal for the Trail Blazers in איק Orlando bubble, leading the team from No.10 seed to playoffs during the eight regular-season games and play-in match against Memphis Grizzlies. He has also been efficient in the series against Lakers, averaging 28.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game.

The post Blazers’ Damian Lillard Suffers a Knee Injury, Out for Game 5 against Lakers 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.

Portland Trail Blazers’ superstar Damian Lillard is only interested in playing again this season if he gets an opportunity to make the playoffs. Lillard recently told Yahoo Sports that he intends to sit out games if NBA resumes 2019/20 with a shorter schedule.

According to reports, the league is considering an option to have all teams play 70 games in order to meet the demands of regional television deals after which they would immediately skip to playoffs. If this happens, Lillard isn’t willing to take part in “meaningless games” as he believes Blazers wouldn’t have “true opportunity” to make it to the postseason that way. 

“If we come back and they’re just like, ‘We’re adding a few games to finish the regular season,’ and they’re throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don’t have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I’m going to be with my team because I’m a part of the team. But I’m not going to be participating. I’m telling you that right now. And you can put that in there,” said Lillard.

Lillard won’t mind if the NBA makes other changes as long as Blazers can make a run for the playoff spot. 

“If they come back and say it’s something like a tournament, play-in style, between the No. 7 and No. 12 seeds, if we’re playing for playoff spots, then I think that’s perfect,” he added.

After making the Western Conference Finals last season, Portland Trail Blazers have had a disappointing campaign so far in 2019/20. Blazers currently sit as nine seed with 29-37 record and are 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies at eight. However, Portland was hoping that a strong finish could get them into a playoff race, especially since they were set to get their starting center Jusuf Nurkic back from injury just before the league suspended the season due to coronavirus.

NBA still remains mum about their plans to resume the competition, but is optimistic about the prospects of crowning a champion. There are reportedly several options in consideration, including taking all 30 teams to Disney World’s sports complex in Orlando and finish out the 2019/20 there.

The post Damian Lillard Won’t Play if NBA Resumes Season With “Meaningless Games” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Portland Trail Blazers’ All-Star Damian Lillard suffered a knee injury during Monday’s 135-115 loss to Los Angeles Lakers and, according to the team, will miss must-win Game 5 on Wednesday.

Lillard got injured midway through the third quarter after landing awkwardly during a drive to the basket. The 30-year-old guard went to the locker room after the possession before returning to court several minutes after. However, he exited the game again after several plays and did not return.

Following the game, Lillard underwent an MRI, but according to the team, the results were “inconclusive.” He underwent a second MRI later on Tuesday, which revealed a knee strain.

After the most recent loss, Blazers find themselves on the brink of elimination as Lakers took 3-1 lead in the series. The Game 5 is set to tip-off on Wednesday, and without Damian Lillard, Portland’s chances of surviving seem slim.

Lillard has been phenomenal for the Trail Blazers in איק Orlando bubble, leading the team from No.10 seed to playoffs during the eight regular-season games and play-in match against Memphis Grizzlies. He has also been efficient in the series against Lakers, averaging 28.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game.

The post Blazers’ Damian Lillard Suffers a Knee Injury, Out for Game 5 against Lakers 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.

Portland Trail Blazers’ superstar Damian Lillard is only interested in playing again this season if he gets an opportunity to make the playoffs. Lillard recently told Yahoo Sports that he intends to sit out games if NBA resumes 2019/20 with a shorter schedule.

According to reports, the league is considering an option to have all teams play 70 games in order to meet the demands of regional television deals after which they would immediately skip to playoffs. If this happens, Lillard isn’t willing to take part in “meaningless games” as he believes Blazers wouldn’t have “true opportunity” to make it to the postseason that way. 

“If we come back and they’re just like, ‘We’re adding a few games to finish the regular season,’ and they’re throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don’t have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I’m going to be with my team because I’m a part of the team. But I’m not going to be participating. I’m telling you that right now. And you can put that in there,” said Lillard.

Lillard won’t mind if the NBA makes other changes as long as Blazers can make a run for the playoff spot. 

“If they come back and say it’s something like a tournament, play-in style, between the No. 7 and No. 12 seeds, if we’re playing for playoff spots, then I think that’s perfect,” he added.

After making the Western Conference Finals last season, Portland Trail Blazers have had a disappointing campaign so far in 2019/20. Blazers currently sit as nine seed with 29-37 record and are 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies at eight. However, Portland was hoping that a strong finish could get them into a playoff race, especially since they were set to get their starting center Jusuf Nurkic back from injury just before the league suspended the season due to coronavirus.

NBA still remains mum about their plans to resume the competition, but is optimistic about the prospects of crowning a champion. There are reportedly several options in consideration, including taking all 30 teams to Disney World’s sports complex in Orlando and finish out the 2019/20 there.

The post Damian Lillard Won’t Play if NBA Resumes Season With “Meaningless Games” appeared first on SportzBonanza.