Portland Trail Blazers swingman Evan Turner says through the first two games of the team's first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, All-Star point guard Damian Lillard and shooting guard CJ McCollum have “won the matchup of star players.”
Lillard and McCollum have thoroughly outplayed Thunder stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The Blazers are up 2-0 against the Thunder.
“They’ve dominated,” Turner said of Lillard and McCollum, via Jason Quick of The Athletic. “They’ve won the matchup of star players. That’s what’s been a big deal. They’ve come out and set a tone, and that’s been everything.”
The Blazers were embarrassed in the first round of the 2018 playoffs. They were swept by the New Orleans Pelicans. Both Lillard and McCollum struggled in the series and critics around the league said Portland had to trade one of the guards.
Throughout the 2018-19 regular season, Lillard and McCollum spoke about how that sweep left a bad taste in their mouths all summer. Entering this year's postseason, the Blazers were 0-10 in their last 10 playoff games, so Lillard and McCollum were eager to get off to a good start against the Thunder.
Lillard has dominated his matchup against Westbrook. The four-time All-Star is averaging 29.5 points through the first two games. Westbrook, meanwhile, is putting up 19.0 points while shooting just 35.1 percent from the floor.
McCollum isn't matched up against George since they play different positions, but the Blazers' shooting guard is showing he's more than capable of being the second star on the team.
CJ is averaging 28.5 points in the series.
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