<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Damian-Lillard_s-crucial-role-in-Anfernee-Simons_-rise-to-stardom-per-Chauncey-Billups.jpeg"></figure><h1>Damian Lillard’s crucial role in Anfernee Simons’ rise to stardom, per Chauncey Billups</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-15T19:52:41-08:00">January 15th, 7:52pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-15T19:52:41-08:00">January 15th, 7:52pm</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The still-depleted Portland Trail Blazers used one of their most well-balanced performances of the season to earn a rare road win Saturday, beating the Washington Wizards <a href="https://www.nba.com/game/por-vs-was-0022100642/box-score#box-score">115-110</a> in the nation’s capital. The Blazers’ victory was just their third away from home all season and moves them to 17-25 overall, still tenth in the Western Conference. But <i>some </i>optimism is building for Portland regardless, with Anfernee Simons continuing to thrive in the present while forecasting an even brighter future.</p><p>Simons dominated in another opportunity as Portland’s lead ball-handler on Saturday, dropping 31 points and 11 assists—tying a career-high set earlier this week—on 11-of-21 shooting overall and 7-of-14 from beyond the arc. He poured in 26 of those points during a jaw-dropping first half, hitting all seven of his triples while playing seamlessly within the flow of the offense. Simons lost his jumper after halftime, but made a significant impact anyway due to his willingness to quickly move the ball when Washington sent two defenders at him in pick-and-roll.</p><p>“It just opened up everything,” Chauncey Billups said of his approach as a playmaker. “I loved his patience in the double-teams. Sometimes he got it out quick, sometimes he dragged the defense a little bit, giving Nurk the chance to get his feet set. I just thought Ant did a really, really good job of reading the game.”</p><p>Simons is averaging 28.3 points and 8.2 assists over his last six games, all of which have come as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/3-secrets-behind-anfernee-simons-breakout-play-with-damian-lillard-sidelined/">Blazers’ primary playmaker</a> with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum sidelined. That huge spike in usage has hardly been accompanied by inefficiency, though. He’s shooting 51.3% overall and 45.7% on nearly 12 threes per game over that timeframe, good for a scorching effective field goal percentage of 65.2—nearly 13 points higher than league average.</p><p>It’s not just hot shooting and finishing driving Simons’ breakout play, either. He looked the part of a full-time floor general against the Wizards, constantly manipulating the defense with extra dribbles, wider angles and subtle fakes while committing just two turnovers. Simons is averaging only 2.7 miscues since Lillard was sidelined again, a perfectly acceptable number for any alpha-dog playmaker, let alone one occupying that role for the first time as his star teammates sit.</p><p>“He’s just growing up in front of our eyes,” Billups said. “It’s not just the freedom that he’s receiving from how we wanna play as a staff. It’s just Dame and CJ and those guys pouring into him over the years, and now it’s opportunity meeting preparation. I’m not surprised. Maybe some people are, but I’m not.”</p><p>McCollum will be back in the lineup on Monday, and Norman Powell will soon return as well. It’s still possible that Lillard comes back in March or beyond. But it’s telling that Billups stoically demurred after the game when asked if McCollum’s presence will change what the Blazers are asking of Simons.</p><p>Portland’s season hasn’t gone the way anyone wanted. Even an unlikely late-season push for a top-six seed wouldn’t change this team’s bleak outlook in the playoffs. At least the Blazers seem to have found a new homegrown star, though. The next step is ensuring Simons continues taking his game to new heights.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Damian Lillard’s crucial role in Anfernee Simons’ rise to stardom, per Chauncey Billups

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Blazers-news-Damian-Lillard_s-brutally-honest-admission-after-ugly-loss-to-Kings-thummbnail.jpeg"></figure><h1>s Damian Lillard playing vs. Wizards</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-15T09:15:13-08:00">January 15th, 9:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-15T09:18:40-08:00">January 15th, 9:18am</time><address><a>Jack Winter</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers continue a six-game road trip on Saturday with a matchup against the Washington Wizards. Damian Lillard hasn’t played in his team’s last six games, a stretch in which Portland has gone 3-3. Will Portland’s superstar point guard be back on the floor in the nation’s capital?</p><h2>Is Damian Lillard playing vs. Wizards</h2><p>Lillard endured the worst slump of his career to begin the regular season, almost completely losing his touch from three while looking a half-step slow off the bounce compared to years past. Following a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-opens-up-about-irritation-of-nagging-injury/">frustrating loss</a> to the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 3rd in which he shot 10-of-27 from the field and committed multiple late-game gaffes, Lillard finally admitted that his longstanding core injury was affecting his play.</p><p>“I made a play in the first half going to the rim, and I braced myself against the contact and my abdominal just tightened up a little bit,” he said. “Came out after that, but it just tightened up a little bit on me.”</p><p>Immediately following Team USA’s win in the Olympic gold medal game on August 6th, reports emerged that Lillard—who’d been struggling on both ends in Japan—had been dealing with a core injury that left him less than 100 percent. He complained of his tender midsection on multiple occasions in 2020-21, too.</p><p>After a win over the Toronto Raptors on November 16th, Lillard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-speaks-out-on-injury-hes-had-for-4-years/">opened up</a> about the extent of his injury.</p><p>“It’s tight, irritated,” Lillard said. “It’s frustrating, but I’ve been playing with it for the last three-and-a-half, four seasons. It’s just frustrating. I’m ready to be playing in the prime of my career at 100 percent, and it’s frustrating to not be able to do that over the last three, four years.”</p><p>The Blazers announced on December 1st that Lillard, who sat out the second leg of his team’s back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons 24 hours earlier, would miss at least 10 days due to injury management after an MRI confirmed his lower abdominal tendinopathy. Lillard returned two weeks later after missing five games, quickly reaching the elite level of play that had largely eluded him before sitting out.</p><p>“I felt pretty good, better than I’ve felt in a long time,” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillards-health-status-after-timberwolves-loss-sparks-reason-optimism/">he said</a> on December 12th following a hard-fought loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I felt significantly better.”</p><p>Lillard’s dominant play and time back on the court didn’t last long, though. Just as his teammates began to return from health-and-safety protocols, <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/damian-lillard-further-evaluation-abdominal-injury">Portland announced</a> on January 5th that Lillard would miss at least a week while seeking further consultation on his injury. Before his team’s victory over Sacramento on Sunday, Chauncey Billups revealed that Lillard wouldn’t travel on Portland’s road trip to seek further consultation on his injury.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It is still unsure whether or not the procedure would be season-ending but we wish the best for Dame! 🙏 <a href="https://t.co/1GYJSkLQHP" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/1GYJSkLQHP</a></p><p>— Blazers Nation (@BlazersNationCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlazersNationCP/status/1481402908143161350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 12, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Lillard underwent surgery on his midsection on Thursday morning and is scheduled to be re-evaluated in six weeks. His potential return to the court in 2021-22 will be dependent not just on the progress of his rehab, but where the Blazers are in the standings once he’s healthy enough to play.</p><blockquote>“It was a situation where it’s been a tough season, I’m not healthy,” Lillard told <a href="https://www.nba.com/blazers/forwardcenter/after-playing-through-pain-lillard-swallows-his-pride-play-long-game">team reporter Casey Holdahl</a>. “What is the return on me beating myself up for another year? And then end of the year, what is that going to look like? And now I’ve got to the end of the season and we’re trying to do this at the end of the season and now I’ve got to go through the rehab, the recovery, get in shape, train and all that stuff and then the season is here again and there’s not really been a physical or mental break. So why not take that opportunity now, just swallow my pride and play the long game? Maybe add two years to my career instead of taking two off.”</blockquote><p>Is Lillard playing on Monday against the Wizards? No, and it seems increasingly likely his season could be over.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

s Damian Lillard playing vs. Wizards

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lakers-news-Damian-Lillard-drops-truth-bomb-on-Russell-Westbrook_s-trash-talking-ways.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Damian Lillard drops truth bomb on Lakers star Russell Westbrook’s trash-talking ways</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-14T15:00:33-08:00">January 14th, 3:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-14T16:04:28-08:00">January 14th, 4:04pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a>A father of two over-energetic boys, Pao has been a writer for ClutchPoints for many years. His passion lies in all things NBA and he has a knack for speaking his mind in his articles -- even when at times it gets him into trouble with the fans. Controversial? Maybe. Excellent writer? Definitely.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook aren’t exactly the best of friends. These two are some of the most intense competitors you can ever come across and they have had their fair share of battles against each other on the basketball court. For his part, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has earned a reputation of being a bit of a loudmouth whenever he takes the court. Even Dame himself would agree and apparently, the Blazers guard knows all about Westbrook’s secret.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33051655/inside-nba-new-wave-trash-talk-not-really-verbal-assault-used-be">ESPN’s Tim MacMahon</a>, many players from around the NBA consider Russ to be “the most relentless trash-talker in the league.” As it turns out, Westbrook’s motives appear to be harmless in that he has no personal vendetta against opposing players he talks smack to. As a matter of fact, word around the streets is that the primary reason behind the Lakers star’s smack-talking ways is nothing more than self-motivation. Lillard himself seems to agree with this notion:</p><blockquote>“I think he talks to himself out there,” Lillard said.</blockquote><p>P.J. Tucker of the Miami Heat also came to a similar conclusion about Westbrook’s knack for talking trash. According to the Heat vet, it doesn’t really matter to Westbrook who ends up on the receiving end of his smack talk. In the mind of the Lakers point guard, it’s all about keeping himself motivated:</p><blockquote>“Then I [saw] him when we played together; he’d talk s— to get himself going every night,” Tucker said. “It has nothing to do with you. You’re just a person. You’re just the guy. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you did. You’re the guy and he’s going to talk s— to you.”</blockquote><p>This definitely sounds on-brand for Westbrook, who undeniably stands out as one of the most emotional players out there. Russ is the type who wears his heart on his sleeve and for the most part, this attitude has been beneficial for him.</p><p>He will need to do much more than exuding a relentless passion on the court for the Lakers, though. Westbrook hasn’t exactly found his groove with his new team and in spite of his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-russell-westbrook-admits-he-has-to-make-biggest-sacrifice-amid-trade-rumors/" rel="noopener">unwavering confidence</a>, there’s no denying that time is running out for both LA and Russ.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Damian Lillard drops truth bomb on Lakers star Russell Westbrook’s trash-talking ways

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/The-Blazers_-massive-silver-lining-to-brutal-Damian-Lillard-injury-news.jpg"></figure><h1>The Blazers’ massive silver lining to brutal Damian Lillard injury news</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-13T20:16:50-08:00">January 13th, 8:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-13T20:16:50-08:00">January 13th, 8:16pm</time><address><a>Gerard Samillano</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Portland Trail Blazers’ season just keeps on taking hit after hit this season. Injuries, COVID-19 woes, and ownership drama has plagued this team all year long. After a disappointing first-round exit against the Denver Nuggets, fans wanted this team to bounce back. Instead, they seem to have regressed further.</p><p>The latest blow to their season might be the most brutal. Blazers star guard Damian Lillard has struggled all season long. Now, he’ll miss a significant chunk of the season due to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-superstar-damien-lillard-set-to-have-abdominal-surgery/">an abdominal surgery he underwent recently</a>. We might not have seen a lot of Dame Time moments this season, but his value to this team is massive.</p><p>Still, this isn’t the time for the Blazers to hang their heads and call it quits. There’s plenty to play for this season, and both the front office and the players have a lot to play for before the season ends.</p><h2>Proving His Worth</h2><p>Perhaps the biggest benefactor of Damian Lillard’s unfortunate injury is Anfernee Simons. The young Blazers guard has been a bright spot for the team off the bench over the last few years as a backup to Dame and CJ McCollum. Now, Simons will likely be thrust into a more prominent role in the rotation, which is a good thing for him.</p><p>Unlike most of his peers in the 2018 NBA draft, Simons hasn’t signed an extension with the Blazers just yet. Lillard’s injury opens up an opportunity for the 24th overall pick to show that he’s a valuable piece for this team. He’s certainly shown he can keep his production without Lillard playing: in <a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/anfernee-simons-without-damian-lillard">22 games without Dame</a>, Simons is averaging 15.1 points and 3.9 assists in 27.7 minutes of action.</p><p>Anfernee Simons will be entering restricted free agency after this season. Depending on how well he plays, he could force the Blazers’ hand to pay a premium for him. This is the most pivotal moment of his young career, and he needs to capitalize on it.</p><h2>A New Spotlight</h2><p>Simons may be the biggest benefactor from Dame’s injury, but that doesn’t mean other players won’t benefit from it. Losing the team’s best scorer and playmaker means that more Blazers will need to pick up the slack to remain competitive.</p><p>McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic are the team’s elder statesmen at this point. Most of the scoring load will fall heavily on their shoulders, and they should be ready to handle this situation. Norman Powell, fresh off signing an extension with the Blazers, will get a chance to prove that the contract he was given was well-deserved. Nassir Little, Robert Covington, and Larry Nance Jr. will also be given opportunities to shine in Dame’s absence.</p><p>Perhaps more importantly for the Blazers brass, this stretch of games allows them to assess their assets and see which players can fetch great value for them. Keeping Damian Lillard in Portland has been one of the team’s priorities, and part of keeping him here is having a great supporting cast. Seeing which players fit well with Dame and which ones should be traded will be the team’s top priorities here.</p><h2>The Future</h2><p>The Blazers currently sit at 10th in the Western Conference, but this season is looking all but lost. They sit at a brutal 16 – 24 record, miles behind the eighth seed at this point. Barring an unforeseen resurgence from their players, it’s likely that this team will miss the playoffs this year. Shutting down Lillard for the year is a likely possibility.</p><p>Still, there’s a lot of hope for Blazers fans this season. They get an opportunity to see which of their current players can be valuable contributors behind Lillard once he returns from his injury, and which ones can fetch a decent return from a potential trade. There’s always a silver lining behind everything, and that includes this situation for Portland.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The Blazers’ massive silver lining to brutal Damian Lillard injury news

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Blazers-Damian-Lillard-Russell-Westbrook-Thunder.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers star Damian Lillard gets honest on savage battle with Russell Westbrook, Thunder in 2019 NBA Playoffs</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-13T18:56:28-08:00">January 13th, 6:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-13T18:56:28-08:00">January 13th, 6:56pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo is a freelance writer, TV producer, and news editor based in Manila, Philippines.  He will debate anyone to death that Penny Hardaway is the real GOAT, and he will work for pizza.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will be out for an extended period after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-gm-joe-cronin-makes-first-big-move-after-damian-lillards-surgery/">his abdominal surgery</a>. It’s a sad development for Rip City fans as the squad might miss the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2013, with both Lillard and sidekick CJ McCollum out of commission.</p><p>Lillard has always been at his best when the stakes are high. We don’t need to jog far into our memory to recall his epic battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. He particularly had a heated matchup with Russell Westbrook as they jawed at each other relentlessly. In the end, the Trail Blazers won the series, capped off by Lillard’s iconic, in-your-face, IDGAF three-pointer at the buzzer.</p><p><a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33051655/inside-nba-new-wave-trash-talk-not-really-verbal-assault-used-be">In a feature story</a> by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Lillard said the rivalry brought out a different side of him.</p><blockquote>“That was probably the most trash talk I’ve ever done in my life, like in the game, where we all was just kind of talking s*** to each other. Everybody on both teams. People was getting separated. People were saying stuff after the game in the media, stuff like that.”</blockquote><p>Surely, the Trail Blazers star is not one to run his mouth a lot. He’s the silent killer-type when he’s on the floor. But Lillard does make sure the opponent knows when he makes a big shot with his Dame Time gesture.</p><blockquote>“There are trash-talkers in the league. But in this era, it’s more gestures.”</blockquote><p>In the meantime, the Trail Blazers, who are currently at 10th place in the Western Conference, will definitely need more than gestures if they want to make it to the NBA Playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers star Damian Lillard gets honest on savage battle with Russell Westbrook, Thunder in 2019 NBA Playoffs

Kyrie Irving

Chris Paul

Carmelo Anthony

Paul George

Damian Lillard

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Lonzo Ball

Klay Thompson

Dwight Howard

Pau Gasol

NBA 75th Anniv. Team

6x All-NBA

6x All Star

5x All-NBA

2012-13 ROY

2012-13 All-Rookie

4x All-NBA

5x All Star

Portland Trail Blazers

Career

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1480773772131155972/

Great win fellas… I see you big Ant @AnferneeSimons 💪🏾💪🏾

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1480413804957630465/

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1477728637180809217/

Run into your own man who has an easy pick and tip it to the other team for a TD 🤦🏾‍♂️

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1477512139094970370/

One of my raider nation folks sent me this … @DangeRussWilson … thoughts? 

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1470818145472585733/

Prepare for the encore… 🐐👓 

#BeWhoYouAre @oakley 

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1470093001380667396/

I know we didn’t just start the game like that bro

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1470092574266253313/

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1467614986692268036/

Wtf are these play calls by the Raiders man

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
24.0	4.1	7.3	0.4	0.6

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
24.0	4.1	7.3	0.4	0.6

Damian
Lillard

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