WATCH: Portland Trail Blazers’ Wild Celebrations After Damian Lillard’s Game Winner Against Bulls

The Portland Trail Blazers pulled off a much needed win as they beat the Chicago Bulls 123-122. A buzzer beater from their talisman, Damian Lillard, capped off the fantastic win.

The Bulls were leading the game by 5 points with 11.5 seconds remaining. It seemed the game was almost over, but Lillard definitely had some other plans. The 30-year-old cut down the lead to 2 points with 8 seconds remaining.

Some fantastic defending from Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood ensured that the Bulls wasted their possession and ensured that it was a jump ball to decide the possession instead.

The Blazers tipped off the ball, and finally, the ball ended up in Lillard’s hands, who shot a fantastic 30-foot jumper to give the victory to the Blazers. This win ended the two game losing streak for Portland.

Teammates were obviously hyped with Lillard’s game winner. After the game, they drenched him and followed it up with some crazy celebrations.

The Blazers currently are the seventh seed in the Western Conference. With the emergence of teams like the Suns and the Grizzlies, the Blazers are in for a dogfight for a spot in the playoffs.

Can Damian Lillard & the Blazers make it to the playoffs?

The Trail Blazers were in a good run in the regular season until their center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a nasty wrist injury. The 26-year-old is one of the mainstays in the starting lineup of the team and will miss at least 23 games with an injury.

After losing Nurkic through injury, Lillard and the Blazers lost another key piece in CJ McCollum. The 29-year-old was on pace, having the best season of his career, averaging 26.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. When Portland was facing off against the Atlanta Hawks, McCollum suffered a left foot fracture.

Without the likes of Nurkic and McCollum, much of the offensive load has been on superstar Damian Lillard. Lillard was in a similar position last season and was up for the challenge. In the Orlando Bubble, Lillard averaged 37.6 points, 9.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while led to six wins the last eight games they played booking a spot in the playoffs.

Yesterday’s win against the Bulls suggests how important Lillard’s insane performances are for the team. Role players Carmelo Anthony and Rodney Hood only had a combined 10 points against the Bulls and disappointed yet again in the offensive end.

The Blazers’ last season squeaked into the playoffs, with Lillard’s amazing performances in the bubble. This time, however, with increased competition within the Conference, the team might need other role players to step up. Can the Blazers make it to the playoffs?