Damian Lillard drops 45 on Nuggets as Blazers close in on Grizzlies

In late May, before the NBA’s bubble plan was main, prior to the reboot format was known, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard made it clear he was not coming unless he had a chance. Four games into the reboot, he is revealing why. With a 125-115 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Blazers have actually effectively closed the gap on the Memphis Grizzlies for the 8-seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.

Damian Lillard is always positive and always see the very best in situations and it is why he said what he said a couple of months back when he stated if Blazers does not have a chance to contend for a playoff spot, he does not wish to play. Because he knew if Blazers did have a chance to bet a playoff area, it would look something like it looks right now. The Blazers got in the bubble 3.5 games behind the Grizzlies, requiring to be within four at the end of the 8 seeding games to require a play-in series.

In the play-in, the 8-seed needs to win one of two games, the 9-seed requires to win both. With the Grizzlies dealing and struggling with a substantial loss with Jaren Jackson’s injury, the Blazers not only have caught up but remain in position to turn spots with Memphis if the Grizzlies can even hang on. In this scenario, Blazers is simply getting an opportunity and making the most of it.

Damian Lillard was electrical versus Denver, dropping 45 points and connecting a profession high with 11 3-pointers.

There is a history there, naturally, with Damian Lillard and the Blazers taking down the Nuggets in seven games last postseason. Nuggets leapt its players at halftime. It was guarding Lillard like it did not know who he was. It has done an actually great job of defending Lillard the previous couple seasons, consisting of the playoffs, but its pickup points were way too low.

Nuggets did not run Damian Lillard off the 3-point line when it closed out. Its hands were down. It was not up in pick-and-rolls. It gave it up. It is handling a flurry of injuries issues, Paul Millsap (rest), Jamal Murray (hamstring), Gary Harris (hip), Troy Daniels (hip), and Will Barton (knee). Nikola Jokic played, although Malone actually did not want him to at all, which is why he sat down the stretch.

It plainly gave a benefit to Portland, however Damian Lillard is not all that fretted about style points right now. Lillard knew that Nuggets had a lot of its main players out, but in the NBA, those are the most dangerous nights. You come out there believing it is going to be a simple game and that is why you appreciate your challenger. He did what needed to be done.

Damian Lillard is not going to apologize for winning.

Damian Lillard’s job is simply to get it done. The Blazers’ four remaining games against the Clippers, 76ers, Mavericks, and Nets, and while they have positioned themselves well, the race for 8 and 9 in the West is exceptionally tight. The Suns, Spurs, Pelicans, and Kings are all within two games of Portland, leaving the margin for error razor thin.

Prior to the shutdown, the Blazers were mired in a disappointing season, handling injuries to Zach Collins and the sluggish resurgence of Jusuf Nurkic. A season back, they were in the Western Conference finals, breaking through to confirm the Lillard-McCollum backcourt and supply a plan to continue developing a contender. Damian Lillard does not view Blazers as a team that went to the Western Conference finals, because you are who you have shown to be during the season.

Now, Blazers are starting to shape into the kind of basketball team that it wants to be. The time off has actually offered the Blazers time to heal and grow. Not only are they primarily whole again, but the advancement of wing Gary Trent has actually been a huge boost. Trent has actually been a bubble star, dropping 27 on Denver, hitting 7 of 10 from 3.

It is what Damian Lillard had in mind, that as soon as he got here, Blazers would be one of the groups that would make the most of it.