Ahead of their duel with the Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks called CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard as the best backcourt tandem in the NBA
Brooks praised McCollum's performance over the last few games while Lillard is out nursing a groin injury. Without the team's leading scorer, McCollum has filled in the void. His recent effort was a 41-point explosion in a 130-107 win over the Orlando Magic. And a few games ago, he dropped 41 to power the Blazers over the Detroit Pistons, 107-104.
“CJ is playing out of his mind right now, but he’s very capable of playing like that all the time. He’s a tricky player, right there (close) to being an all-star. With [Damian Lillard, that’s as good a backcourt as there is in the league,” Brooks said per Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.
Lillard, for his part, has also been doing his part to rack up the victories for the struggling team. This season, Lillard has dropped at least 60 points twice. He scored 60 points in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets in December and dropped 61 points in a quadruple overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors in February. And on any given night, opposing teams are aware that Lillard can explode for 40 or 50 points if you don't put up your best defensive stance.
As of this writing, the Blazers sport a 27-35 record for 10th in the West. They are on the brink of missing the postseason for the first time in six seasons. But Lillard and McCollum are turning in career performances to keep their team above water.
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