Damian Lillard has been in the form of his life. Nobody has scored more points than him since December 1. The closest competition he’s had is Joel Embiid, who’s 150+ points behind the Portland Star. In the last game against the Orlando Magic, he had his 54th 40-point night. It’s his 14th for the season, the most in the NBA.
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The Trailblazers surely need his talents to make a final playoffs push, given that there are only 16 games left for the playoffs. The win against Orlando changed nothing in the standings but did everything to close the gap to the top 8.
The Clippers were so close to faltering but managed a huge win against the Grizzlies. Memphis, without their young PG Ja Morant, looked like they were shaken. Lillard must be taking notes because they play both the Clippers and the Grizzlies right at the end of the season.
Is Damian Lillard playing against the Detroit Pistons?
With Lillard playing 37 minutes tonight, he seemed perfectly alright. The only injury update still on the Portland Roster is young buck Anfernee Simons, who is out with foot swelling. Good news for the Blazers faithful.
Simons said his leg got caught up with a Pelicans player. Initially, he had trouble putting weight on his ankle but he said he eventually felt good enough to walk on it. Said he was experiencing swelling. https://t.co/G7vr0lrIGJ
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) March 2, 2023
If coach Chauncey Billups thinks Dame can take a rest, he’d probably give him a break. But knowing Dame, he’d want to play, if he is a 100% fit. This last stretch of games is the most important for the Blazers if they want to make it to the postseason.
Dame has been known to take time off, but at such an important juncture, he’s more likely to suit up than not. They may not have enough strength to go the distance, but everyone wants to be in the postseason.
Can Portland reach the playoffs?
With the West so close, anyone can make it to the playoffs, if one of the teams encounters a bad patch of form. From the 6th seed to the 12th, the final standings could change drastically. The Blazers have to play 8 games against their direct rivals in the west.
With a faltering Clippers and Grizzlies coming in their final stretch, Rip City fans can hope to cheer their team on during April and May.
But will that happen? It all depends on how the Lakers, the Pels, and the Jazz do. The Lakers are hoping to make a push of their own, missing the playoffs completely last year. If they do miss out this season as well, they might lose LeBron James.
These final weeks are going to be a blast, and we might very well see a completely different final table.
