Wednesday had 11 games on the schedule, but in terms of the point guard match-up, no game had more intrigue than the meeting between the Houston Rockets and the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.
Chris Paul of the Rockets is arguably the best facilitator in the league, while his counterpart on the Blazers, Damian Lillard, is a scoring machine who can get buckets from anywhere on the floor.
It was a battle of two premiere point guards, and you can best believe that the two All-Stars didn't disappoint, both in producing numbers and getting feisty with each other – especially the latter. Watch what happened seconds before the game concluded:
The game was already over, as the Rockets have the win locked. They were leading by seven points with under 20 seconds remaining and the ball in their possession. Chris Paul, however, decided that he wasn't, as he casually drove to the basket to add some damage. Damian Lillard, being an intense competitor and all, did not like it one bit, so he got on Paul's grill and said his piece.
Ah, yes. The classic case of “running up the score.” It provides the never-ending argument about the act being right or not – on one side, one can argue that it isn't because you should have class and sportsmanship, and on the other, one can argue that it is, because if you don't like losing and getting showboated on, you should play better. It's like sports' version of the chicken and egg debate.
Whatever side you're on, one thing we can all agree on is that the in-game showdown was good. Both men played big, with Chris Paul scoring a season-high 37 points to go along with 11 assists, and Damian Lillard having 29 points and eight dimes.
These two squads will meet next on March 20th, when the Rockets pay the Blazers a visit in Portland.
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