The Portland Trail Blazers have been off to a tremendous start this NBA season, going 7-4 through the first 11 games. Even with the absence of Al-Farouq Aminu and Festus Ezeli, Portland’s depth and hustle players have helped put them in the right direction this season. Their prolific backcourt has also been a huge reason for their success thus far. CJ McCollum is averaging career numbers (22.1 PPG, 47% FG), all while Steve Kerr’s pick for MVP this season has been making that label evident for him.
Damian Lillard’s been scoring at will, and in last night’s game versus the Denver Nuggets, he did just that. Lillard has now scored 30+ points in 7 of the Blazers’ 11 games this year. The lack of scoring weapons in Portland may be the reason he’s tied his career high in field goal attempts per game, but he’s being much more efficient, as he’s also got a career high in field goals made per game to go with his 30.7 points per game.
Damian Lillard scored a game high of 32 points along with 4 steals with his backcourt teammate CJ McCollum scoring 21. The Nuggets would have trouble for most of the game, as none of their players were able to score in the 20’s. Danilo Gallinari and Jamal Murray would lead the team in points scored at 19, while sophomore guard Emmanuel Mudiay struggled to get 8 points, shooting 3-16. After the Blazers took over at the start of the second half, on a 36-15 run, the game was theirs to win.
The Blazers are going to be a big threat in the Western Conference, with Lillard taking a big scoring haul, Portland’s destiny might be safest in Lillard’s shooting hand. The Trail Blazers are 6-1 in games this year when Lillard scores 30+ points. If Portland has their sites set on becoming a top seed in the West and making it to the second round once again, Lillard will have to keep up his MVP campaign and show why the Splash Bros need to watch the throne as the best backcourt in the NBA.
