Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard will make his return against the Cleveland Cavaliers after five games out due to a hamstring injury, ESPN’s Chris Haynes reports.
Lillard suffered the injury to his right hamstring against the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 20. His injury was initially thought to be a mere contusion, and he still returned to finish the game after briefly exiting to be examined. However, it was later revealed to be a more serious injury than expected.
The Blazers went 3-2 in the five games without Lillard, who is averaging a team-high 25.2 points, with 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists this season. They bounced back from an embarrassing 15-point road defeat to the league-worst Atlanta Hawks to beat the Chicago Bulls in overtime on New Year's Day.
Shabazz Napier started the past four games in place of Lillard, averaging 19 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in 36.7 minutes. He will now return to the bench with Lillard back available.
Lillard has gone off for some big games in his last two visits to Cleveland. He’s averaging 36.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists in those games while shooting 56 percent from the field.
Lillard will be matched up against another All-Star point guard making his return in Isaiah Thomas, who is set to make his long-awaited Cleveland Cavaliers debut.
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