The incredible coincidence behind Damian Lillard’s poor shooting in Game 4 originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest
The Portland Trail Blazers DOMINATED the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 to even the series 2-2.
One would think, too, that a 20-point blowout would have occurred, in part, because of a Damian Lillard takeover.
That wasn’t the case on Saturday, however.
Lillard, who has carried the Blazers on his back for much of the season, was able to rely on his teammates in Game 4.
Norman Powell scored 29 points on 11-15 shooting.
CJ McCollum added 21 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 17 points.
Lillard scored just 10 points on 1-10 shooting.
No, Lillard isn’t injured. It was just a poor shooting performance.
“He didn’t let it affect his play,” Terry Stotts said postgame. “That’s the third game now that he’s had double figure assists. You know he’s going to shoot the ball better.”
While his stroke wasn’t there, he got involved in other ways. As Stotts mentioned, Lillard dished 10 assists and had 8 rebounds, finishing the night just shy of a triple-double.
Even Nuggets head coach Michael Malone couldn’t believe it.
“If you would’ve told me going in that Damian Lillard was going to be 1-10 from the field and we’re going to get blown out, I probably would’ve had a hard time believing that,” Malone said.
What’s even harder to believe is this coincidence.
That’s right. The date was March 28th, 2015 and the Blazers secured a 120-114 victory behind 32 points from LaMarcus Aldridge and 21 points from Arron Afflalo. Lillard shot just 4-11 from the field, scoring 8 points. He had 10 assists, though, just like in Game 4.
In fact, Jusuf Nurkic scored more points in that game… He had 10 points off the bench for the Denver Nuggets.
The only time Lillard scored fewer points this season was in the season opener when he scored just 9 points. He made up for it in the next game, scoring 32 points.
So, don’t worry, Blazers fans.
Lillard is still averaging over 30 points in the Blazers playoff series vs. the Nuggets, even after a poor shooting night.