PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers used an 18-5 run over the game's final four minutes and 48 seconds for a rousing and much-needed 110-106 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. The crunch-time identity that's been the Blazers' hallmark for the better part of a decade, though, was almost completely absent for the second consecutive game. This time, thankfully, Portland didn't need Damian Lillard's normal heroics—or even much impact from him at all—for a comeback win.
Lillard's shooting slump might have reached its nadir versus the Pacers. He shot 2-of-13 overall and missed all six of his threes against the Pacers, tying a career-low set all the way back in 2013 with just four points. Basketball's best closer mostly played bystander late, ceding reins of the Blazers' offense to C.J. McCollum.
Lillard, like he has all season, played another solid floor game against a defense geared to stop him, finishing with 11 assists and two turnovers. He was minus-4 on Friday, second-worst on the team, but that red plus-minus and Lillard's continued shooting woes aren't an accurate reflection of his offensive impact.
Lillard's fingerprints were all over Portland's offense.
Still, it's obvious the Blazers' struggles to put away an Indiana team that featured way too much T.J. McConnell ball handling—Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb missed Friday's game—wouldn't have come to pass if Lillard was his usual self. Well, the version of himself who's an all-time shot-maker and was recently named one of the 75 greatest players ever.
Billups was asked if he was “concerned” about Lillard's ongoing shooting slump after the game. Answering with a quick and decisive “no,” he pointed to Lillard's historic reputation and current place in his career as the biggest reason why.
“Why would I? He's one of the greatest of all time,” Billups said. “He's still in his prime. He's not 38, 39. Played this game for a long time and went through that myself.”
That confidence isn't misplaced. Lillard was playing at an MVP level less than nine months ago. A shooter like him doesn't just lose his jumper at 31, and Lillard has looked plenty explosive this season—at least when fully healthy.
But Lillard admitted to “irritating” the same core injury that plagued him during an underwhelming showing at the Olympics following the Blazers' loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He seemed to lose burst the longer Friday's game went on, finishing with just three shots from the restricted area and even missing an uncontested dunk.
Lillard is clearly experiencing some discomfort. He admitted as much on Wednesday and could be seen on the bench massaging his lower-abdomen area with a therapy device 48 hours later. The question now isn't only just how much he's hurting, but for how long he's been hurting.
Lillard insisted he was healthy when asked last week, and was apparently able to complete his normal training regimen over the offseason despite an extremely busy summer. There's nothing to suggest his core injury, a malady he's been dealing with for years, lingered into training camp and the first seven games of the regular season.
But it's a factor now. Just like Billups' belief in Lillard is steeled by a historic resumé of shot-making, Blazers fans can take some solace from the notion that Portland's best player just isn't at his best physically right now. Here's hoping that changes soon.
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