<!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/2021/02/Damian-Lillard-drops-Dennis-Schroder-on-his-knees-with-nasty-step-back.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Blazers star Damian Lillard drops Dennis Schroder on his knees with nasty step-back</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T22:33:31-08:00">February 26th, 10:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T22:33:31-08:00">February 26th, 10:33pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard had no chill against Dennis Schroder on Friday, who was just returning from a four-game absence for the Los Angeles Lakers. The two point guards were matched up in the post in the fourth period of the two teams’ showdown at Staples Center.</p><p>Dame completely faked out the playmaker from Germany, as he performed a beautiful spin move-stepback combo that had Schroder dropping to his knees. The Lakers guard was unable to recover, with Lillard finishing the beautiful play with a jumper that hit nothing but nylon. Here’s the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1365530313234018304" rel="noopener">ankle-breaking play</a> courtesy of the six-time All-Star.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">That's TOUGH, Dame. 😳 <a href="https://t.co/dD3abMqYAz" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/dD3abMqYAz</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1365530313234018304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While Dame did get the better of Schroder in that play, the Lakers were the ones who ended their losing skid with a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/scores/nba/boxscore/portland-trail-blazers-los-angeles-lakers-2-27-2021/fe297b2a-e48b-44b0-a59a-bc0e1e83efe6" rel="noopener">102-93 win</a> over the Blazers. Damian Lillard had the superior numbers of 35 points, three boards and seven assists, but he was unable to prevent his team from dropping its fourth game in a row.</p><p>Dennis Schroder, meanwhile, looked terrific in his return from a lengthy absence due to the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The 27-year-old guard notched 22 points on 6-for-14 shooting from the field, to go along with three boards, two assists and one steal in 32 minutes. Schroder was able to shake off the cobwebs early and was a big factor for the reigning champs on both sides of the ball. The Blazers star may have schooled him on this one, but Dennis will be happy just to get W.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Blazers star Damian Lillard drops Dennis Schroder on his knees with nasty step-back

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-Damian-Lillard-Jusuf-Nurkic.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers star Damian Lillard gets candid on carrying team without CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-24T08:39:33-08:00">February 24th, 8:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-24T08:41:10-08:00">February 24th, 8:41am</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Whenever an important player gets injured for a team, their mentality usually shifts to “next man up,” and believing that other teammates can step up in their absence. That’s exactly what Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has done this season.</p><p>Big man Jusuf Nurkic has missed time due to a broken wrist, while guard CJ McCollum has also been sidelined due to a broken left foot.</p><p>In an interview with <a href="https://theathletic.com/2408278/2021/02/24/portland-trail-blazers-nurkic-mccollum-injuries/?source=emp_shared_article">The Athletic’s Jason Quick</a>, Lillard admitted that he has been thinking about how much Nurkic and McCollum could have helped the Blazers if they played, despite his own brilliant play.</p><blockquote>“Maybe y’all haven’t been doing that, but I do that all the time,” Lillard said of the absence of his injured teammates. “I don’t think you have two players at the level those guys are and not go into a game thinking of them.”</blockquote><p>It’s understandable that the six-time All-Star wonders <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/portland-trail-blazers/schedule">how different their season</a> would be if they had both Nurkic and McCollum. After all, McCollum averaged 26.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and five assists in the 13 games he played this season. Nurkic, meanwhile, put up averages of 9.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 12 games, numbers which could have helped Portland as they are in the midst of a three-game losing streak.</p><p>Lillard has done an admirable job in their absence, putting up huge numbers and garnering consideration for the MVP award as he continues to play at a high level. But in a tough Western Conference where a few wins could mean a lot, not having two of the Blazers’ best players that could make a difference is something that is always on Lillard’s mind.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers star Damian Lillard gets candid on carrying team without CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic

<!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/2021/02/dame-3.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers star Damian Lillard gets MVP vote from surprising person</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-22T16:42:02-08:00">February 22nd, 4:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-22T16:42:02-08:00">February 22nd, 4:42pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the Portland Trail Blazers set to take on the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, Blazers superstar Damian Lillard just got the MVP nod from none other than Phoenix head coach Monty Williams.</p><p>Williams heaped praise on Lillard, while also explaining why he believes the Portland point guard is playing at an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-puts-himself-in-the-mvp-conversation/">MVP level</a> right now (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1364006282831687682">Gerald Bourguet</a> of FanSided):</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Monty Williams called the Blazers "a well-balanced team with arguably the MVP right now." Said he doesn't know anybody that's carried that kind of load like Damian Lillard</p><p>— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) <a href="https://twitter.com/GeraldBourguet/status/1364006282831687682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 23, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>With the type of numbers Lillard is putting up, it’s hard to go against what coach Williams is arguing here. Even Suns fans would probably agree that Dame is playing some MVP-caliber basketball at the moment — something that they hope to contain when the Suns host the Blazers on Monday.</p><p>Then again, there is another dude in Phoenix who has had some noteworthy performances of late. Chris Paul, who joined the Suns in the offseason as part of a trade deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been nothing short of outstanding for his new team so far this term. The 35-year-old veteran has been one of, if not the primary reason why the Suns have emerged as a serious contender in the West right now.</p><p>This then sets up an epic head-to-head battle between two all-time great point guards. Lillard will hope to lead the Blazers to another win on Monday — potentially their seventh victory in the last eight games — against Paul and Co., who themselves have lost just two out of their 11 contests in the month of February. Expect fireworks.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers star Damian Lillard gets MVP vote from surprising person

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-news-Damian-Lillard-reveals-his-passion-off-the-court-after-winning-Western-Conference-player-of-the-week-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Damian Lillard reveals his passion off the court after winning Western Conference player of the week</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-22T13:18:51-08:00">February 22nd, 1:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-22T13:19:21-08:00">February 22nd, 1:19pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is never afraid to engage in verbal sparring with his Twitter followers. It is fitting, really, given his favorite sport <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-cj-mccollum-has-biting-remark-on-damian-lillards-all-star-starter-snub/">aside from basketball.</a></p><p>Damian Lillard, recently named the Western Conference Player of the Week, revealed to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard he loves to watch boxing.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Hoop is the love of my life… but my favorite sport to watch; I love boxing.”</p><p>When he’s not on the court, <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Dame_Lillard</a> is all about the sweet science 🥊 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/E_Woodyard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@E_Woodyard</a>) <a href="https://t.co/Ji0AeTtLvv" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/Ji0AeTtLvv</a></p><p>— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNRingside/status/1363949112270278658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>“Dame” has delivered his share of <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNRingside/status/1363949112270278658?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1363949112270278658%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1015097action%3Dedit">knockout blows</a> to opponents throughout his career.</p><p>Damian Lillard and Michael Jordan are the only two players in playoff history with at least two walk-off game-winners. The All-Star guard has a knack for showing up for the biggest and most spectacular moments.</p><p>But, as previously suggested, Damian Lillard has also had critics and even his peers on the ropes via social media. He brutally trolled Los Angeles Clippers guards Patrick Beverley and Paul George after L.A. blew a 3-1 lead in last season’s Western Conference semifinals.</p><p>Damian Lillard even had a bit of a humorous rap beef going on with Shaquille O’Neal.</p><p>Luckily for Trail Blazers fans, none of the extracurriculars have detracted from Lillard’s supreme talent on the hardwood.</p><p>The 30-year-old has been tremendous this season, averaging 30.0 points, 7.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds with a 62 percent true shooting mark. Damian Lillard has had a double-double in points and assists in each of the last four games, and erupted for 43 points in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans last Wednesday.</p><p>Lillard has helped lead Portland to an 18-11 record despite the Trail Blazers being without C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic for the majority of the season. Those injuries might otherwise have been a setback early in the season, but Damian Lillard has kept Portland afloat, and hopes the Trail Blazers can keep punching into the later rounds. The Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles teams lead the Western Conference, but after that, it’s a mad scramble for playoff positioning. With the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors struggling, Portland has a real chance at the second round of the playoffs, injuries and all.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Damian Lillard reveals his passion off the court after winning Western Conference player of the week

<!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/2021/02/dame-2.jpg"></figure><h1>Damian Lillard, Blazers absolutely rip Timberwolves over coaching hire</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-21T21:22:57-08:00">February 21st, 9:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-21T21:22:57-08:00">February 21st, 9:22pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-minnesota-fires-ryan-saunders-poaches-raptors-assistant-new-head-coach/" rel="noopener">firing Ryan Saunders</a> as their head coach, the Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly hiring Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch as his replacement. While seemingly routine news, Damian Lillard and his Portland Trail Blazers teammates ripped the Minnesota organization for its decision to look elsewhere rather than promote current assistant coach David Vanterpool.</p><p>Via <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1363704821497298945" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>, Lillard expressed his belief that Vanterpool—who served as an assistant coach for the Trail Blazers from 2012 to 2019—should’ve replaced Saunders as the Timberwolves’ head coach. According to Lillard, Vanterpool aided in his and CJ McCollum’s development.</p><p>In addition, while Vanterpool was with the Blazers, the team was considered a perennial playoff contender in the West. They even made it as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2019, which is Vanterpool’s last season with the team.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">How the hell do you not hire David Vanterpool and he’s right there on the bench… and has been in front office SUCCESSFULLY and on the front of a bench of a winning team SUCCESSFULLY (7 years) … and also has played a major role in the development of a dominant backcourt smdh!</p><p>— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1363704821497298945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic echoed Damian Lillard’s sentiments. McCollum seemed outright confused about the Wolves’ decision. The Blazers center, meanwhile, went on to say that some “dirty business” is going on.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Make it make sense. Respectfully. <a href="https://t.co/4crtNzWV0W" target="_blank">https://t.co/4crtNzWV0W</a></p><p>— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1363705876452757504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Facts!<br>Dirty business … <a href="https://t.co/iYyxGl9WND" target="_blank">https://t.co/iYyxGl9WND</a></p><p>— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) <a href="https://twitter.com/bosnianbeast27/status/1363705040314064896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While some may perceive that Lillard has some bitter feelings about Chris Finch, the Blazers star cleared the air and emphasized he has nothing against Finch. He just wants the best for his former coach because he feels he deserves it.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I don’t know him to have nothin against him. Congrats to him… but I’m sorry Vanterpool is a coach that I know for sure is needed in these locker rooms. I speak the real …not favorites… respectfully <a href="https://t.co/vtvsYfK1d2" target="_blank">https://t.co/vtvsYfK1d2</a></p><p>— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1363706638394290178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>From the looks of it, Lillard is very serious in his campaign for Vanterpool to be the new head coach of the Wolves.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">He barely been apart of the organization <a href="https://t.co/ocToza9rI9" target="_blank">https://t.co/ocToza9rI9</a></p><p>— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1363710202046898179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 22, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It’s still a matter of wait-and-see if the Timberwolves will succeed under Finch. However, given Lillard’s endorsement, it won’t be surprising to see Vanterpool becoming a head coach in the league some time in the near future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Damian Lillard, Blazers absolutely rip Timberwolves over coaching hire

<!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/2021/02/westbrook.jpg"></figure><h1>Wizards’ Russell Westbrook shows massive respect to Blazers’ Damian Lillard amid rumored beef</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-21T18:45:30-08:00">February 21st, 6:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-21T18:46:00-08:00">February 21st, 6:46pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There are rumors swirling that Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard have a heated beef not just on the court but off the court as well. But after the duel between the Washington Wizards and the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, Westbrook showed massive respect to Damian Lillard in response to how he defended <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-cj-mccollum-has-biting-remark-on-damian-lillards-all-star-starter-snub/">the star guard.</a></p><p>In the post-game interview, Westbrook shared that the key to containing Damian Lillard is to make life tough for him. He expounded that this is an ideal scenario as Lillard is used to making difficult shots simply because that’s what <a href="https://youtu.be/MjtFIjVz7kg">elite players do.</a></p><blockquote>“He’s going to take tough shots. He’s going to take tough ones and make tough ones. That’s what great players do,” Westbrook said of Damian Lillard, per <a href="https://youtu.be/MjtFIjVz7kg">Hoop District</a>.</blockquote><p>The two have been battling one another since 2012 — Lillard’s first year in the league. In an interview last year with hip hop icon Fat Joe, Damian Lillard said that Westbrook is his “arch-nemesis” for the mere fact that they go hard at one another whenever they play.</p><blockquote>“If I had to say I had an arch nemesis, it would probably be Russ [Westbrook], because when me and Russ play, we going after each other,” <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/trail-blazers/damian-lillard-shares-why-russell-westbrook-his-top-foe-court">Lillard said in an Instagram Live with Fat Joe.</a> “It’s been that way every time we’ve played since I’ve been in the NBA. Eight straight years of just me and him going at each other.”</blockquote><p>In celebration of Dame and Russ’s little rivalry, check out some of the sequences below. Notice how extra aggressive they are. Even after the whistle, both Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook want to get ahead of one another.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Things are getting physical between Dame and Russ <a href="https://t.co/KAZhU9Wbbp" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/KAZhU9Wbbp</a></p><p>— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1118358902339358720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 17, 2019</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russ rocked the baby on Dame after scoring on him 🍿 <a href="https://t.co/4YJJeFExMX" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/4YJJeFExMX</a></p><p>— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1119438679590596609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 20, 2019</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🗣 "Bombs away, baby!"</p><p>DAME is fired up in Game 2. 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RipCity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#RipCity</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#NBAPlayoffs</a> <a href="https://t.co/JEOGGFSjTI" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/JEOGGFSjTI</a></p><p>— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1118368043200143360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 17, 2019</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook have locked horns in the Western Conference playoffs before, when Russ was with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lillard eliminated OKC. Now the two men are in different conferences, but the recent Wizards-Blazers game stoked some of the fires in this rivalry.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Wizards’ Russell Westbrook shows massive respect to Blazers’ Damian Lillard amid rumored beef

<!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/2021/02/blazers-news-damian-lillard-pissed-off-at-officiating-after-loss-to-wizards.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers star Damian Lillard pissed off at officiating after loss to Wizards</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-21T11:59:04-08:00">February 21st, 11:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-21T12:00:07-08:00">February 21st, 12:00pm</time><address><a>Nick Andre</a>Basketball Enthusiast</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a 118-111 defeat to the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, Damian Lillard voiced his frustrations on how he’s being officiated. There were a couple of late officiating decisions that really drew Lillard’s ire, and he made it known he was upset.</p><p><a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/trail-blazers/damian-lillard-appears-sick-and-tired-nba-officiating-after-loss-wizards" rel="noopener">Via Chris Burkhardt of NBC Sports Northwest:</a></p><blockquote>“For me, it’s just frustrating how physical people can be when defending me in certain situations. In our last road trip, I had back-to-back games with five fouls, about to foul out just playing normal defense,” said Damian Lillard after the game. “I’m going to the rim getting smacked in the head. I’m getting grabbed. Getting slapped on the arms. Getting pushed in the back. I mean, that’s the frustrating thing for me. I’m not out here flopping and trying to trick the referees or things like that. I’m trying to score and getting hit in the head.”</blockquote><p>The specific plays were two no-calls:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It's no wonder Damian Lillard is frustrated with officiating… <a href="https://t.co/y9b2lnQrar" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/y9b2lnQrar</a></p><p>— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSNorthwest/status/1363402239033901057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">HOW WAS THIS NOT A FOUL???? <a href="https://t.co/qyPc71ILyh" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/qyPc71ILyh</a></p><p>— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSNorthwest/status/1363359595738132481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Lillard wasn’t happy with the explanation he got after the second miss:</p><blockquote>“‘I didn’t see that’ was literally the answer,” Damian Lillard said of when he asked the ref about the no-call. “I stole the ball and he ran into my back. I didn’t see that? C’mon, man. To me that’s a slick comment when that’s your response. ‘I didn’t see that,’ when the whole arena saw that. So, it’s just those moments that’s frustrating when it comes to the physicality.”</blockquote><p>Lillard was also upset about the officiating after a recent game against the Dallas Mavericks. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-cj-mccollum-makes-strong-mvp-case-damian-lillard-under-minute/" rel="noopener">As an MVP candidate</a>, he doesn’t feel he’s getting the calls he deserves. It’s clear he’s sick of it.</p><p>Despite this frustrating loss against the suddenly streaking Wizards, Lillard and the Blazers are still 8-2 in their last 10 games despite playing without starters CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic.</p><p>Damian Lillard will look to channel this frustration into a big performance the next time the Blazers play, which will come Monday against the Phoenix Suns in a big Western Conference showdown.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers star Damian Lillard pissed off at officiating after loss to 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/2021/02/Blazers-news-Damian-Lillard_s-first-shot-is-a-bucket-from-the-logo-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Blazers star Damian Lillard starts game with bucket from the logo</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-20T21:04:00-08:00">February 20th, 9:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-20T21:04:00-08:00">February 20th, 9:04pm</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Damian Lillard woke up feeling dangerous on Saturday–and no, we’re not being sarcastic unlike those NBA Twitter trolls. The Portland Trail Blazers superstar didn’t take long to channel his Logo Lillard persona, as he opened their game against the Washington Wizards with a 3-pointer from halfcourt.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1363326982465806337" rel="noopener">Watch the highlight below</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">First shot of the game is a Logo Lillard <a href="https://t.co/idyKOqMuGF" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/idyKOqMuGF</a></p><p>— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1363326982465806337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Damian Lillard has been doing it for the last couple of years now, yet it’s still mind-boggling whenever he just swishes those long-range bombs with ease. For most players not named Damian Lillard (and Stephen Curry), it is a bad shot. Dame, however, has certainly mastered the craft of the way-downtown triples.</p><p>Lillard has been on a tear lately for the Blazers, and his confidence just seems to be sky-high with the way he just started the game against the Wizards. Maybe the 30-year-old is feeling some extra motivation heading into Saturday, especially after the NBA revealed on Thursday the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-lebron-james-kevin-durant-headline-all-star-starters/" rel="noopener">starters for the Western Conference All-Star squad</a>.</p><p>Despite putting together an MVP-caliber season so far for the Blazers, Lillard wasn’t named to the starting roster–with the honor going to Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and Dallas Mavericks sensation Luka Doncic.</p><p>Doncic and Lillard wound up tied on the voting ballot. While Lillard got the no.2 spot from the players and the media, the Slovenian star edged the Blazers leader in the fan-voting. The fan-voting, which accounts for 50-percent of the ballot, served as the tie-breaker.</p><p>Perhaps this is Dame’s message to all the fans who did not vote for him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Blazers star Damian Lillard starts game with bucket from the logo

<!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/2021/02/wizards-news-bradley-beal-busts-out-dance-moves-before-facing-damian-lillard-blazers.jpg"></figure><h1>VIDEO: Wizards’ Bradley Beal busts out dance moves before facing Damian Lillard, Blazers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-20T20:06:19-08:00">February 20th, 8:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-20T20:06:19-08:00">February 20th, 8:06pm</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There has been a lot of talk about Bradley Beal not being happy with the Washington Wizards. He certainly did not look that way after he <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1363319516697137154" rel="noopener">busted out the dance moves</a> prior to their Saturday night match-up against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">this man is out of control 😂😂😂🐼🐼🐼<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WizBlazers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#WizBlazers</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/RealDealBeal23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@RealDealBeal23</a> <a href="https://t.co/wsSjt5tyCS" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/wsSjt5tyCS</a></p><p>— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1363319516697137154?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 21, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>This should be another meme up in the alley for the Wizards star. Bradley Beal must be feeling good heading into the game, with Washington riding a three-game winning streak. Likewise, Beal was recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-lebron-james-kevin-durant-headline-all-star-starters/" rel="noopener">just named as an All-Star starter for the East</a>, finishing first among all backcourt players in the conference after getting snubbed off the team entirely last season.</p><p>Beal has shown hints of frustration in Washington with his body language early in the campaign, but that certainly didn’t look like case here. NBA fans have been clamoring for the elite two-guard to go to a winning organization instead of wasting his prime with a losing squad like the Wizards.</p><p>Nonetheless, despite Washington’s poor star to the season, fans, the media and the NBA players rewarded Beal because of how he has carried the Wizards this season. He’s averaging a league-best <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bealbr01.html">32.8 points</a> this season, all while shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from three.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

VIDEO: Wizards’ Bradley Beal busts out dance moves before facing Damian Lillard, Blazers

<!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/2021/02/mavs-news-luka-doncics-surprising-reaction-to-getting-all-star-starting-spot-over-damian-lillard.jpg"></figure><h1>Mavs star Luka Doncic’s surprising reaction to getting All-Star starting spot over Damian Lillard</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-20T15:40:38-08:00">February 20th, 3:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-20T15:40:38-08:00">February 20th, 3:40pm</time><address><a>David Bernal</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic remains as humble as ever. After saying last season that he doesn’t think he should have been a candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year, the Mavs star is back at it again, this time regarding the Damian Lillard controversy.</p><p>For those not in the know, several fans and experts <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/luka-doncic-absolutely-robbed-damian-lillard-for-nba-all-star-starter-spot/" rel="noopener">took issue</a> with the fact that Doncic has been voted as an All-star starter over Lillard. After all, Dame has not only been clutch for the  Portland Trail Blazers, but he has also been their leading scorer as they climb to fourth in the Western Conference standings with an 18-10 record.</p><p>However, the ever self-deprecating Mavs star addressed the issue on Saturday and agreed that Lillard should have been the All-Star starter over him. In fact, Luka noted that he himself was surprised with the voting results.</p><blockquote>“I was surprised to be a starter to be honest,” Doncic said, <a href="https://twitter.com/DorothyJGentry/status/1363249102884982784">per Dorothy Gentry of The Athletic</a> . “I know Lillard deserved it maybe more than me. At the end of the day, in two years, no one will know who started or not started. Only that you were an All-Star.”</blockquote><p>While Luka Doncic’s candor is refreshing, it is likely to do little to Damian Lillard’s frustration at yet another slight. As the Blazers point guard told reporters during his press conference following the announcement, the fact that he had <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-reacts-losing-out-all-star-starter-spot-luka-doncic/" rel="noopener">historically received the “shorter-end of the stick”</a> when it came to national recognition is something that continues to drive him.</p><p>Even if Luka believes that Lillard may have been more deserving of the starting spot given his production and team success, the Mavs guard’s selection is far from a reach. <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01.html">Averaging</a> 29.1 points per game and 9.4 assists, Doncic has put up numbers in line with past starters in the exhibition match. Moreover, the fact that Dallas has been unable to capitalize on his performance to earn victories cannot entirely be placed on him.</p><p>With the starting position already his, it’s no surprise to see the Mavs playmaker take the high road.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mavs star Luka Doncic’s surprising reaction to getting All-Star starting spot over Damian Lillard

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-news-CJ-McCollum-makes-strong-MVP-case-for-Damian-Lillard-in-under-a-minute.jpg"></figure><h1>CJ McCollum makes strong MVP case for Blazers teammate Damian Lillard in under a minute</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-20T10:15:44-08:00">February 20th, 10:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-20T10:15:44-08:00">February 20th, 10:15am</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>There are players across the NBA that have gotten love as MVP candidates this season and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers hasn’t gotten much buzz. While Lillard continues to fly under the radar, teammate CJ McCollum made a strong case for Lillard to be MVP with <a href="https://youtu.be/Bdh3eEJlnaw?t=114">ESPN’s Taylor Twellman</a> on a recent episode of SportsNation.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p>Of course, with McCollum being a long-time teammate of Lillard’s, he’s going to tell the media he believes Lillard is the clear choice for MVP. However, the veteran shooting guard presented a solid case for his backcourt running mate.</p><p>McCollum states Lillard’s consistency to improve every season is a reason why he should be considered for MVP. After averaging 21 or fewer points per game in his first three seasons in the NBA, Lillard has eclipsed 25 or more points per game with the Trail Blazers in every season.</p><p>As for this year, Lillard is currently notching 29.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. Another reason why McCollum views Lillard as the front-runner for MVP is his ability to deliver in clutch moments. Lillard has made a few <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-all-business-in-reaction-to-his-own-game-winner/">game-winners</a> this season, adding to his long list of clutch shots in his career.</p><p>Above all, Lillard has led the Blazers to an 18-10 record thus far, which is good enough for the fourth-best record in the competitive Western Conference. What makes their record even more impressive is Lillard has had to play without McCollum in the lineup since Jan. 16.</p><p>Following Friday night’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sixers-news-joel-embiids-insane-stat-line-puts-him-in-wilt-chamberlain-territory/">explosion</a>, talks of Joel Embiid being the MVP in the NBA are beginning to heat up. But when it comes to who he’d vote for, McCollum believes Lillard deserves to take home the hardware for various reasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

CJ McCollum makes strong MVP case for Blazers teammate Damian Lillard in under a minute

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-news-Damian-Lillard-reacts-to-losing-out-on-All-Star-starter-spot-to-Luka-Doncic-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Damian Lillard reacts to losing out on All-Star starter spot to Luka Doncic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-19T13:05:44-08:00">February 19th, 1:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-19T13:05:44-08:00">February 19th, 1:05pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA announced the starters for the 2021 All-Star Game on Thursday night and the big names were no surprise as LeBron James and Kevin Durant were named as captains. The biggest surprise to many was Luka Doncic being named a starter in the Western Conference over Damian Lillard.</p><p>However, the Portland Trail Blazers guard didn’t seem too upset or surprised by his being left off the starting five (via <a href="https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1362858885971808262">Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report</a>).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Damian Lillard on not being named an All-Star starter: "When I was younger I cared a lot more. It's obviously an accomplishment and something I haven't done so I would have liked to. But I honestly wasn't surprised. I wasn't upset about it."</p><p>— Sean Highkin (@highkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1362858885971808262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The West starters of LeBron, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic, and Stephen Curry were no surprise to anybody. The final spot for the starters was certainly coming down to Lillard and Doncic.</p><p>Lillard has been on a tear to start the year and picked up where he left off in the NBA’s bubble in Orlando. He’s <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/l/lillada01.html">averaging</a> 29.8 points with 4.4 boards and 7.7 assists and the Blazers are towards the top of the West.</p><p>As for Doncic, he’s averaging 29.1 points with 8.6 rebounds and 9.4 dimes on the year while his Dallas Mavericks team has been one of the biggest disappointments early on with a sub-.500 record.</p><p>The case between the two is extremely close and it’s difficult to pick. Lillard doesn’t seem upset in his statement, although being named a starter would’ve been a huge accomplishment for him. In fact, Lillard lost out on the starting spot because of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-loses-tiebreaker-for-all-star-starter-with-luka-doncic-due-to-fan-vote/">number of fan votes</a>.</p><p>Lillard had his own thoughts on the All-Star Game with many of the stars voicing their opinions and frustrations of having to play the game in the midst of the pandemic. He will be playing in the game and already announced his participation in the pregame 3-point contest.</p><p>Damian Lillard should have been the starter over Luka Doncic, although it’s so hard to leave either player off of the starting five with the seasons they’ve had thus far. However, Luka gets the honors, and Dame will have to wait another year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Damian Lillard reacts to losing out on All-Star starter spot to Luka Doncic

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-news-Damian-Lillard_s-All-Star-starter-snub-has-Kevin-Love-grabbing-his-popcorn-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers star Damian Lillard’s All-Star starter snub has Kevin Love grabbing his popcorn</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-19T09:21:40-08:00">February 19th, 9:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-19T09:21:40-08:00">February 19th, 9:21am</time><address><a>Isaac Doctor</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The basketball community was surprised to find out that Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-loses-tiebreaker-for-all-star-starter-with-luka-doncic-due-to-fan-vote/">not included as a starter</a> in the NBA All-Star Game to be held in Atlanta. Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love <a href="https://twitter.com/kevinlove/status/1362558386496286722">shared his thoughts</a> on Lillard.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Anyone else have Dame as early favorite for ASG MVP??? 🍿🍿🍿</p><p>— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) <a href="https://twitter.com/kevinlove/status/1362558386496286722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und">😬 <a href="https://t.co/TPczSsom8r" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/TPczSsom8r</a></p><p>— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) <a href="https://twitter.com/kevinlove/status/1362559178523426821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>There is a possibility that Lillard will take his All-Star “benching” personally and go off in the All-Star Game. Even when defenses key on stopping Lillard, he continues to light it up from everywhere and get his teammates involved. Since defense is rarely played during the All-Star Game, we might just witness a new level of Dame Time for four quarters.</p><p>In the 2004 edition, Shaquille O’Neal snagged the All-Star MVP while coming off the bench. Shaq finished with 24 points and 11 boards and outplayed the West starting center Yao Ming. There is a precedent for Love’s inquiry.</p><p>Lillard has carried the Blazers on his back en route to an 18-10 record and fourth in the Western Conference. He has been one of the most clutch performers these past few seasons. They are currently riding a six-game winning streak. What makes this more impressive is that starters, guard CJ McCollum and center Jusuf Nurkic have been unavailable due to injuries.</p><p>This season, Damian Lillard is in MVP conversations, albeit as a dark horse candidate. As the focal point of the Portland offense, he is putting up 29.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.7 dimes, and 1.1 steals. With his competitive fire and mentality, it would not be a surprise if he outperforms Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who edged him out as a starter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers star Damian Lillard’s All-Star starter snub has Kevin Love grabbing his popcorn

<!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/2021/02/image_2021-02-19_212507.png"></figure><h1>Luka Doncic absolutely robbed Damian Lillard for NBA All-Star starter spot</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-19T05:39:51-08:00">February 19th, 5:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-19T05:39:51-08:00">February 19th, 5:39am</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the biggest robberies in NBA history occurred on Thursday when Damian Lillard was <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2021-nba-all-star-game-starters-revealed">left out of</a> the starting line-up of the 2021 Western Conference All-Stars. The Portland Trail Blazers superstar was passed over for Luka Doncic after the pair figured in a tie in the final ballots.</p><p>In the end, the final decision was determined by a popularity contest, as the Dallas Mavericks youngster nabbed the spot after having more fan votes than Dame.</p><p>Now, this is not a knock on Doncic’s game. He definitely deserves to be an All-Star for the second straight year, after being the clear bright spots in the Mavs’ season so far.</p><p>However, being a starter usually entails that you are the best player in that position. As magical as Luka has been, he’s not the best guard in the Western Conference.</p><p>Sure, Doncic will still serve up plenty of highlights come March 7, but fans were certainly robbed of a Lillard-Stephen Curry starting backcourt for the West.</p><p>While Mavericks fans may have a legitimate case for why their Slovenian star deserves that first five slot, know there are even more compelling reasons for Damian Lillard</p><p>For starters, Lillard has evidently impacted winning more than Doncic has thus far. The Blazers are playing their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-cj-mccollum-reacts-damian-lillard-carrying-portland-over-zion-williamson-pelicans/">best basketball of the season</a> so far, racking up six straight wins and winning eight of its last 10 games. Portland is currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference with an 18-10 record.</p><p>Dame has been the main catalyst of this surge and he’s doing it without CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. Lillard is carrying his team to victory with a supporting cast of 36-year-old Carmelo Anthony along with several talented but unproven players.</p><p>Doncic and the Mavericks, on the other hand, have failed to live up to the hype they had entering the 2020-21 campaign. After an impressive run inside the bubble last year, fans and pundits expected Dallas to become a major threat in the West. Not only that, but Luka Doncic <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mavs-news-luka-doncics-becomes-bigger-favorite-to-win-nba-mvp/">was the favorite</a> to win the MVP award before the season began. So far, neither of those predictions seem close to reality right now.</p><p>It’s the Blazers that have been putting the league on notice as of late, while the Mavs are not even in the playoff picture at 10 place with a 13-15 start.</p><p>Sure, Doncic also doesn’t have the most impressive teammates outside of Kristaps Porzingis, but no doubt he has the better supporting cast over Lillard at this juncture, at least on paper.</p><p>Stats-wise the case can be made that Doncic is indeed the better all-around player between the two.</p><p>The 21-year-old playmaker, after all, averages better numbers of 29.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.4 assists in 27 games so far. Although the Blazers scorer is not too far behind, notching 29.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in 27 games as well.</p><p>Lillard is a much better shooter, making 45.1 percent of his field goals and 38.4 of his attempts from deep. The last head-to-head between the Blazers and the Mavericks clearly depicts Lillard’s superiority over Doncic.</p><p>Luka finished with better stats of 44 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, but it was Dame who led his team to the W with a brilliant 34-point outing along with 11 assists.</p><p>Also, let’s not forget that Lillard is practically the most clutch player in the league today, and maybe even in history. In five-point games in the last five minutes, Dame Dolla has a career record of 82 points on 63.2 percent shooting from the field and 58.8 from past the arc, while leading the Blazers to a 12-3 record in that span.</p><p>Doncic, of course, has also come through for the Mavs on several occasions, but he just doesn’t compare to Lillard right now at this point of their careers.</p><p>In any other season, and probably in every future season to come, Luka Doncic should be an All-Star starter. But this year, Damian Lillard deserved it every bit more than Luka did.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Luka Doncic absolutely robbed Damian Lillard for NBA All-Star starter spot

<!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/2021/02/allstar2.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers’ CJ McCollum has biting remark on Damian Lillard’s All-Star starter snub</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-18T20:58:08-08:00">February 18th, 8:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-18T20:58:37-08:00">February 18th, 8:58pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum is more than aware that superstar teammate Damian Lillard uses slights as motivation to prove people wrong.</p><p>For some baffling reason, Dame, who has been balling out his mind for the Blazers this season, was left out of the Western Conferences All-Star Game starters. Turns out, his tiebreaker with Luka Doncic was determined through fan voting.</p><p>As far as McCollum is concerned, this latest disrespect to Lillard’s name only fuels his bid to chase that All-Star Game MVP as well as the regular season MVP by the end of the campaign. The injured Blazers playmaker re-tweeted Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-warriors-star-stephen-curry-stans-carmelo-anthonys-vintage-play/">offered his latest take</a> on Lillard on Thursday.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Early fav Sesson MVP too . ESP after that debacle <a href="https://t.co/5XPlqiWRTk" target="_blank">https://t.co/5XPlqiWRTk</a></p><p>— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1362574749973454852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Blazers fans know that Damian Lillard has <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1362574749973454852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362574749973454852%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1011540action%3Dedit">practically leap-frogged</a> fellow superstars LeBron James and Joel Embiid in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/has-damian-lillard-surpassed-lebron-james-joel-embiid-in-the-mvp-race/" rel="noopener">latest discussion for early MVP frontrunners. </a></p><p>Apart from tallying sensational averages of 29.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 7.7. assists and 1.1 steals on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.4 from deep, he is practically putting the entire team on his shoulders sans McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. The Blazers have won their last six games and have gone 8-2 in their last 10 matches. The injury-riddled team is currently ranked fourth in the stacked Western Conference Standings with an 18-10 win-loss slate overall.</p><p>Lillard has proven time and time again with the Blazers that he is one of the best talents of this generation. Still, it seems that he continues to be one of the most under-appreciated players in this league. We’ve already seen the 30-year-old supreme scorer go berserk inside the NBA bubble last year after getting mocked by several Clippers players.</p><p>If Lillard approaches the All-Star Game with the same chip on his shoulder in representing the Blazers, then it is clear that McCollum is right — that MVP plum is as good as his.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ CJ McCollum has biting remark on Damian Lillard’s All-Star starter snub

<!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/2021/02/dame-luka.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers’ Damian Lillard loses tiebreaker for All-Star starter to Luka Doncic due to fan vote</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-18T16:37:08-08:00">February 18th, 4:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-19T07:12:47-08:00">February 19th, 7:12am</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard did not get a starting position on the NBA All-Star squad thanks a fan vote for Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. No need to panic Blazers fans — it’s just the starting lineup we’re talking about here and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-warriors-star-stephen-curry-stans-carmelo-anthonys-vintage-play/">not a matter of making</a> (or being left off) the actual team.</p><p>As it turns out, Doncic is more of a crowd-favorite as compared to Lillard, which allowed the Mavs star <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1362556032086548484">to get the starting nod</a> over Damian Lillard:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The fan vote gave Luka Doncic the starting nod over Damian Lillard.</p><p>Full voting breakdown for the Western Conference All-Stars: <a href="https://t.co/oxJu8Lrq0M" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/oxJu8Lrq0M</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1362556032086548484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>As you can see on the voting breakdown above, both the players and the media ranked Damian Lillard higher than Doncic. However, since the All-Star festivities are for the fans after all, it is the fan ranking that ultimately determined who gets to start between the two stars.</p><p>Depending on where you’re sitting, it would be easy to argue a case for either Damian Lillard, representing the Blazers, or Doncic of the Mavs. Both players have been playing some outstanding basketball to start the season and not many would contest having either of them as the West starter (or at least we think). If only there were three guard slots available in the starting lineup. Or maybe we can do a starting six?</p><p>One thing we can all (probably) agree on is that Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors absolutely deserves to be in the top spot, even more than Damian Lillard of the Blazers or Doncic of the Mavs. He was ranked first by the players, the media, and the fans unanimously — and rightfully so.</p><p>The All-Star Game is a go for March 7, despite the criticism the league has faced for going through with their plans amid a global pandemic. Entertainment is a welcome distraction from the misery of the pandemic and all of its many overwhelming problems. This tiebreaker is not a huge deal in the larger scheme of things.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ Damian Lillard loses tiebreaker for All-Star starter to Luka Doncic due to fan vote

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-Grizzlies-Damian-Lillard-Ja-Morant.jpg"></figure><h1>Grizzlies’ Ja Morant reacts to Damian Lillard’s comments about him</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-18T15:03:44-08:00">February 18th, 3:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-18T15:04:35-08:00">February 18th, 3:04pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Blazers superstar Damian Lillard recently came out to say that Memphis Grizzlies second-year guard Ja Morant has become his favorite young player to watch. Morant caught wind of Lillard’s praise and quickly took to social media to send some love back.</p><p>Morant <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1362462021187489794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362462021187489794%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1011269action%3Dedit">shared his mutual respect for Lillard via Twitter</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">love my guy 💪🏽🖤 <a href="https://t.co/dFSmgqwNvZ" target="_blank">https://t.co/dFSmgqwNvZ</a></p><p>— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1362462021187489794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Clearly, these two hold one another in high regard. There’s a bit of a passing of the torch type of feel between Lillard, the old guard, and Morant who is the young up-and-comer.</p><p>It’s hard not to agree with the Blazers star’s sentiments here, considering how Morant has absolutely taken the league by storm since being selected second overall by the Grizzlies in the 2019 NBA Draft. The former Murray State standout went on to have a tremendous debut campaign which rightfully earned him the season’s Rookie of the Year award.</p><p>Then again, we also can’t help but throw in a few other young stars that Lillard seems to have glossed over. How about New Orleans Pelicans phenom Zion Williamson, who himself has been on an absolute tear of late? We can also think of a couple of guys who came out of the 2018 draft in Luka Doncic and Trae Young. Both studs are still young, too, right?</p><p>As they always say, to each his own. Lillard has grown to admire Morant’s game with the Grizzlies, and there’s no way we can question his opinion here. One thing we can say for sure is — regardless of who your favorite young NBA star may be — that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rookies-who-have-real-all-star-potential/">future of the league appears to be</a> in excellent hands.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grizzlies’ Ja Morant reacts to Damian Lillard’s comments about him

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-news-Damian-Lillard-makes-his-case-to-be-Portland_s-GOAT.jpg"></figure><h1>Damian Lillard makes his case to be Blazers’ GOAT</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-18T11:35:21-08:00">February 18th, 11:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-18T11:36:01-08:00">February 18th, 11:36am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard takes tremendous pride in representing the organization that drafted him.</p><p>Lillard says that same pride is part of the reason he feels he is the greatest player in franchise history:</p><blockquote>“I think the pride that I have in (being a Trail Blazer), and how much I want to bring a championship to this city is at the top,” Damian Lillard said, via <a href="https://theathletic.com/2396354/2021/02/18/damian-lillard-greatest-trailblazer-goat-portland/?source=rss">Jason Quick of The Athletic</a>.“The culture we’ve built, I feel like I’ve been so invested and such a huge part of everything that has happened for the last nine years. … “I don’t think a player before me had the same pride in putting this uniform on than I have,” Lillard said.</blockquote><p>The Oakland native has been a force in Portland since the Trail Blazers first drafted him with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.</p><p>Damian Lillard is a former Rookie of the Year. He is a five-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, including a First Team All-NBA choice in 2017-18. The 30-year-old is at the peak of his powers again this season, averaging 29.8 points, 7.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds while leading a depleted Trail Blazers squad to an 18-10 mark thus far.</p><p>But, franchise GOAT? Yes, Lillard has a case. He already ranks second in Trail Blazers history in <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/">Win Shares</a>, behind only Hall of Fame shooting guard Clyde Drexler. He is primed to pass Drexler as the all-time leading scorer sometime next season and should also move into second in franchise history in assists, trailing only Terry Porter. Bill Walton is also part of these conversations thanks to his 1977 NBA Finals MVP and regular-season MVP the following year.</p><p>However, Damian Lillard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-voices-out-latest-thoughts-on-nba-super-teams/" rel="noopener">feels that sense of pride and desire to represent the city</a> is what will ultimately make him Portland’s GOAT, even if he never wins a championship:</p><blockquote>“But I don’t think if we don’t win it that I won’t be the greatest Blazer of all time. I think I will be. I think I’m nearing that already,” Lillard said, via Quick.</blockquote><p>Of course, a championship would be the cherry on top for Damian Lillard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Damian Lillard makes his case to be Blazers’ GOAT

<!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/2021/02/Blazers-news-Damian-Lillard-shuts-down-Skip-Bayless-_Who-cares_-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers star Damian Lillard shuts down Skip Bayless: ‘Who cares’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-18T10:39:08-08:00">February 18th, 10:39am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-18T10:39:08-08:00">February 18th, 10:39am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard does not care what the talking heads have to say about him. No, seriously.</p><p>Lillard held something of a Q&amp;A on Twitter on Thursday morning, with one respondent saying FOX Sports personality Skip Bayless criticized Dame for being a hater. Suffice to say, Lillard <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1362460027840204802">has no interest</a> in discussing Skip’s takes.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Who cares. <a href="https://t.co/lGZWHBXxNH" target="_blank">https://t.co/lGZWHBXxNH</a></p><p>— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/1362460027840204802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It was not all doom and gloom on the “Undisputed” set, however. Bayless’ colleague, Shannon Sharpe, hailed Lillard as the “greatest clutch player of this generation.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Is Damian Lillard all-time clutch?</p><p>"Dame is the greatest clutch player of this generation. Michael Jordan and Dame are the only players to end 2 playoff series on game-winning shots. He's clutch, I've seen enough. " — <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonSharpe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@ShannonSharpe</a> <a href="https://t.co/hGSMFrW9ff" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/hGSMFrW9ff</a></p><p>— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) <a href="https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/1362428469414559746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The All-Star point guard has been on a tear for a Trail Blazers team that has won six straight and eight of their last nine.</p><p>Lillard is averaging 31.9 points, 9.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds in his <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203081/traditional/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=9">last eight games</a>. He is shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc on 11.8 attempts per game, also converting 91 percent of his 8.4 free-throw attempts.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/203081/traditional/?Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=9">advanced numbers</a> are even gaudier. Lillard has a 127.6 offensive rating and 15.0 net rating in this eight-game stretch. His usage rate is over 35 percent, while his true shooting clip is 60.6 percent.</p><p>Of course, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/has-damian-lillard-surpassed-lebron-james-joel-embiid-in-the-mvp-race/">most impressive part</a> about all this is Lillard has carried Portland on his back while CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic continue to be sidelined with injuries.</p><p>As for Lillard’s clutch gene, what is there to debate? He almost single-handedly led the Trail Blazers to the playoffs with a spectacular “bubble” performance last season, and—as Sharpe noted—has a pair of walk-off game-winners.</p><p>While fans and talking heads continue to evaluate Lillard’s place in the game, he is focused on hooping and winning.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers star Damian Lillard shuts down Skip Bayless: ‘Who cares’

<!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/2021/02/image_2021-02-18_142210.png"></figure><h1>Has Damian Lillard surpassed LeBron James, Joel Embiid in the MVP Race?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-17T22:33:45-08:00">February 17th, 10:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-17T22:33:45-08:00">February 17th, 10:33pm</time><address><a>Kriel Ibarrola</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s still way too early to predict who will win the 2020-21 NBA Most Valuable Player considering there are still a lot of games to be played this season. Still, no one can deny that Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has already presented a strong case for the individual award.</p><p>Earlier, injured Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic claimed that Lillard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-damian-lillard-is-the-nba-mvp-today-per-jusuf-nurkic/">should win MVP</a> if the season ended right now. Most pundits scoffed at the notion at first thinking that he’s just being a good teammate. But regardless of his biases or not, it’s pretty clear that the Bosnian Beast actually has a good point.</p><p>When you think about it, no other player in the league is more valuable to their team than Lillard is to the Blazers right now. Sure, we’re used to seeing big numbers from the 30-year-old supreme scorer in the past.</p><p>Plus, there are two bigger names who are considered front runners for the recognition at the moment. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James’ name is again up there in the conversation for possibly the fifth MVP plum of his storied career. The things that he’s capable of doing in his 18th season in the league at 36 years old are just nothing short of spectacular.</p><p>Joel Embiid is another rightful candidate, as his dominant play has elevated the Philadelphia 76ers right at the top of the much-improved Eastern Conference. One quick look at these two players’ averages shows that they are indeed MVP worthy, at least at the start of the season.</p><p>But Lillard and the Blazers have been on a tear as of late, raising the question if the 6-foot-2 playmaker has already surpassed LeBron and Embiid in the MVP race.</p><p>The short answer? Yes. Absolutely. Here’s why.</p><p>Damian Lillard was already named the NBA Bubble MVP last year after singlehandedly leading Portland to the eight-seed in the West in the first-ever playoff play-in tournament. While that plum was a one-off trophy, it’s clear that Lillard is more deserving than ever for the real hardware after the season.</p><p>He solidified that claim against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, leading his team to a 126-124 win. Lillard put up 43 points on 14-for-28 shooting from the field and 7-for-16 from 3-point range in 38 minutes. Moreover, he silenced critics who continue to tag him as a trigger-happy, shoot-first guard, tying his career-high with 16 assists in the process.</p><p>As far as clutch goes, Dame Time is still the <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1362257227571060736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362257227571060736%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1010641action%3Dedit">gold standard</a> in the league. He capped off that remarkable performance with a game-winning and-one drive to seal the victory.  It’s not his first one of the season either, as Lillard has already bailed out his team several times already. For sure, we’ll see more heroic plays from Dame for the rest of the campaign. It’s just another day at the office for him.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">⏰ Dame Time ⏰<a href="https://t.co/zcq447RZUb" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/zcq447RZUb</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1362257227571060736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 18, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In 27 games so far, Lillard is norming 29.8 points on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.4 percent from deep, along with 4.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in around 35 minutes a night.</p><p>While these numbers are nothing out of the ordinary for the Oakland native, the Blazers are actually winning despite the unfavorable circumstances they’ve faced. Most people expected the Blazers to cool off after Nurkic and CJ McCollum were sidelined indefinitely due to injuries.</p><p>The defiant Lillard, however, has refused to let that happen, leading Portland to the fourth-best record in the West with an 18-10 slate. They also hold the second-longest active winning streak at six games.</p><p>Sure, it’s been a total team effort for Rip City in their latest resurgence. But remove Lillard from the equation, and there’s a high chance this team would flounder at the bottom of the standings. If Damian Lillard can keep his team near the top of the standings and add to his already extensive list of big-time performances throughout the season, the MVP votes should come piling in.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
29.6	4.4	8.0	0.2	1.0

2020-21 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
29.6	4.4	8.0	0.2	1.0

Damian Lillard news

Damian
Lillard news