Damian Lillard's long-awaited return to the floor didn't end the Portland Trail Blazers' losing streak. Despite another defeat pushing them further down the Western Conference standings, though, the Blazers still received much-needed reasons for optimism on Sunday night — the biggest one just happened to come after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Portland fell to Minnesota 116-111 at Moda Center in a hard-fought, back-and-forth affair that the home team had ample opportunity to win.
Anfernee Simons scored a season-high 26 points, leading the Blazers' comeback with impressive shooting and finishing. Ben McLemore continued his strong recent performance off the bench, chipping in 15 points courtesy of five triples. Larry Nance Jr. provided a consistent two-way impact, Nassir Little flashed on both ends after halftime and even undrafted rookie Trendon Watford — pressed into action due to foul trouble and Cody Zeller's absence — fared well enough during his single stint to finish with a +4 plus-minus.
Why did Portland lose a fifth straight game, then? Defensive headaches caused by the versatility of Karl-Anthony Towns, way too many careless turnovers and an inability to keep the athletic, opportunistic Wolves out of the open floor. The Blazers were hardly the tire fire on Sunday night they were for the most part while Lillard was sidelined. In what has become an all-too-familiar theme this season, though, they just couldn't sustain solid, mistake-free basketball on either side of the floor.
“We don't do anything for long enough stretches throughout the game. We have good moments, but we just aren't able to sustain it on either end. We do things good for a few possessions and then we have a few bad possessions,” Lillard said. “That's a situation where it's tough to win a game like that, no matter who you're playing against. But we've done that pretty much the whole season, not be able to put it together for a long enough period of time. I think that was the case again tonight.”
No doubt. But considering how Lillard felt after his first game in nearly two weeks, it stands to reason Portland could eventually manage that high level of play for extended stretches — and perhaps soon.
Lillard scored 24 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and doled out six assists in his first action since Nov. 29. He showed no ill-effects from the abdominal tendinopathy that continues to nag at him, looking explosive off the bounce and plenty aggressive seeking his shot. The problem is that the ball, like in so many games for Lillard this season, just didn't drop.
“I felt like as the game went on I did kind of wear down and get a little tired,” Lillard said. “Some of my shots was coming up short, and those are the shots that when they feel like that they go in, a lot of 'em felt like they were going in, and then they were short.”
Lillard shot 5-of-17 overall and 3-of-14 from e-point range. Four of his five turnovers came in the first quarter, evidence of the rust he admitted after the game. Weary legs and off timing prompting Lillard's labors might as well be cause for celebration in Rip City, though. Lillard, thankfully, barely seemed to notice on Sunday the core injury he has been dealing with since the Tokyo Olympics.
“It just seemed too good to be true, to be feeling that well, moving around that well. But I felt good,” Lillard said. “Physically I felt really good, and it stayed that way. Usually to start the third I'll start tightening up and getting uncomfortable. I felt good all the way through. I just felt like the main thing was just kind of fatiguing a little bit, just cause I haven't played in a live game in a few weeks. But I felt really good.”
Portland is still in a state of organizational flux. Interim general manager Joe Cronin has all but promised significant personnel changes are coming. A midseason roster overhaul, no matter how obligatory, won't necessarily make it easier for the Blazers to climb from their 11-16 hole in the standings.
Still, Lillard's abdomen remains this team's biggest swing factor in 2021-22. And after playing 37 minutes in an intense, physical game against another Western Conference playoff hopeful, he had virtually no complaints about his health.
‘”I felt pretty good, better than I've felt in a long time,” Damian Lillard said. “I felt significantly better.”
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