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Damian Lillard was fighting like hell on Tuesday night to will his short-handed team to a rare victory outside Rip City. Considering how well he'd been playing since not just opening tip against the New Orleans Pelicans, but also the Portland Trail Blazers' last two games, no one would've been shocked if Lillard pulled it off, either.
But moments after his scooping layup attempt under the outstretched arm of Josh Hart came up short with 2:17 left and Portland trailing 105-95, Lillard was whistled for a technical foul that made his singular comeback less likely—and ultimately led to the first ejection of his career.
After the Blazers' 111-97 loss to the Pelicans at Smoothie King Center, an incredulous Lillard detailed the “crazy” circumstances of his late-game technicals on the post-game podium.
“The first one, I was confused myself,” he said. “I've been in the league 10 years and I'm not a player that's not smart, or always thinking about what makes most sense at this time. So a game under five minutes, a close game, single-digit game, a game that we got a chance to win, I'm not gonna do nothing to put my team in a worse position like get a tech at that time.
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“The play before on offense I got bumped or hit on my arm or something, and I turned and I saw which referee was right there,” Lillard continued. “So I didn't just go up to a random referee and he wasn't in position to make the call that I thought should've been made. When we got down the court, I said, ‘How is that not a foul?' I walked up to him, and it wasn't aggressive, I wasn't yelling, I said, ‘How is that not a foul?' He made a face or whatever, and then I was like following him because he'd just called a call on this end, he was going to the scorer's table. He said, ‘Dame, stop.' My exact words were ‘Stop what?' And he blew his whistle and gave me a tech.”
Brandon Ingram missed the ensuing technical free throw, but Lillard and Blazers never got within single digits of the Pelicans afterward regardless. The game clearly out of reach in its waning moments, Lillard decided to share his displeasure with the referee who called his previous technical, almost immediately yielding a second one and automatic ejection.
“That's the craziest thing I've had happen in my career,” Lillard said. “Like, time and score and what I said, I wasn't yelling. I just said,' Stop what?' and he gave me a tech. And then once I realized the game was over I just really expressed how much I disagreed with him giving me a tech in that situation, and he did what he saw fit.”
Lillard finished with 39 points and seven assists on Tuesday, shooting 13-of-24 overall and 6-of-11 from beyond the arc, another standout performance that indicates early-season struggles are behind him.
Next time he has the chance to make crunch-time Dame Time, don't be surprised if Lillard does it. Well, as long as the refs don't get in the way of his penchant for late-game heroics.
