Damian Lillard has led the Blazers to a 2-0 start, but will he be suiting up as the Lakers try to secure their first win?
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The Portland Trailblazers have started their 2022-23 campaign brilliantly. After winning their season opener on the road against the Kings, they also took care of things for their home opener. Damian Lillard dropped 41 against the Pheonix Suns, as the Blazers recorded a 113-111 overtime win.
The Trailblazers are now headed to Los Angeles as they take on the Lakers. This would be an important matchup for both teams. The Blazers would like to extend their winning streak to 3. On the other hand, LeBron James and co. would like to record their first win of the season.
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Over the last two games, we’ve seen a lot of positives from the Blazers camp, but it all revolves around Damian Lillard. The question that remains is whether he would suit up tonight or not.
Is Damian Lillard playing tonight?
Damian Lillard missed a major chunk of last season due to injury. He was suffering an abdominal injury that required surgery. However, he’s back now, and he’s looking sharp. The Blazers missed the playoffs and the play-in game without Dame, and they traded CJ McCollum.
Dame looks healthy this season, and has just signed a huge extension deal with the Blazers.
Here is the Lillard contract breakdown:
Current contract
22-23: $42.5M
23-24: $45.6M
24-25: $48.8MExtension*
25-26: $58.5M
26-27: $63.3M (P)The extension numbers could be adjusted based on the salary cap in 2025-26. It cannot exceed 35% of the cap for that season.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 8, 2022
After his impressive 41 at home the other night, the Blazers’ Point Guard would like to carry it over to the upcoming game. According to the Blazers’ injury reports, there is no sign that Dame would miss the Lakers’ game.
We can expect Dame to suit up tonight against the Lakers.
What can we expect from the Trailblazers this season?
The Portland Trailblazers didn’t really have a good season last year. However, with Damian Lillard out and CJ McCollum traded, this gave Anfernee Simons space to grow. He earned a huge contract over the summer and he’s already shown us signs of why he bagged the same.
If the Blazers manage to stay healthy, they have enough firepower on their roster to cause an upset in the West. With Dame, Simons, Nurkic, and their bench, the Blazers are chippy and competitive side.
We’ll have to see how they do as the season progresses, but they might make it to the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference.
