One of the more shocking things to happen so far in the NBA playoffs has been the struggles that the Portland Trail Blazers have encountered.
They have lost each of the first two games against the New Orleans Pelicans and one of the big reasons for the struggles has been the play of Damian Lillard.
One of the guys most responsible for keeping him in check has been Jrue Holiday who has had no issue doing that so far this series.
Damian Lillard scoring by defender this series
vs. Jrue Holiday: 7 pts, 2-18 FG, 11 FG%
vs. everyone else: 28 pts, 11-23 FG, 48 FG%
(via @SecondSpectrum)— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) April 18, 2018
Against Holiday, Lillard has only shot 11 percent from the field for seven points. Against everyone else, he has shot 48 percent and put up 28 points.
Holiday is sometimes overlooked because of Anthony Davis, but he is one of the best defenders in the league and head coach Alvin Gentry was giving up all kinds of praise after the Game 2 victory.
“He’s been really, really good the whole season, so this is not a surprise or anything,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “In my opinion, and I may be a little bit biased, but if you can tell me a better two-way player in the league right now — Kawhi’s not playing, and I understand that — I’m willing to listen. What we ask him to do, and the things that we ask him to do offensively? He was just great tonight.”
For the rest of the series, this is going to be the matchup to watch. If Lillard can find a way to score against Holiday, they will have a chance to come back. If Lillard continues to struggle with his shot, this series might not even make it back to Portland.
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