The Portland Trail Blazers beat the New Orleans Pelicans in crunch time, 125-124 via Damian Lillard’s free throws on Tuesday. Lillard and clutch shooting have become synonymous and opposing teams know that when it’s Dame Time, they’re really in trouble.

Draymond Green is one guy who knows this story well. The Golden State Warriors forward expressed his thoughts about Lillard's clutch gene and the Pelicans' respect for him that sealed the win for the Trail Blazers.

 

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Lillard was fouled twice on key plays, as the Pelicans were desperate to prevent him from icing the game. He was fouled by Eric Bledsoe directly after receiving the inbound pass, sending him to the line for two free throws. The Pelicans clearly preferred Lillard to shoot two foul shots as opposed to making another three-point dagger. He coolly sank both shots, bringing the Trail Blazers to within one, 124-123 with just a few ticks left in the game.

The second foul came after Nickeil Alexander-Walker mishandled the inbound pass and gave possession back to Rip City. Lillard dribbled into a pull-up jumper and was hit on the arm again by Bledsoe. The whistle was blown, much to the chagrin of the Pelicans bench. Lillard laced both shots again, and Zion Williamson was unable to convert on his game-winning hook shot on the other end as time expired.

Damian Lillard is averaging a whopping 8.8 points in the fourth quarter on a blistering 43.4% three-point percentage. With numbers that hot, it’s no wonder that Green continues to be impressed.