The Portland Trail Blazers were in fine form last night as they beat the Denver Nuggets. They were led by none other than Damian Lillard, who registered multiple records with his performance.
He became the first player with 45+ points, 10+ assists, 10+ threes in a game in NBA history. He also joined James Harden as the only players with 10+ threes and 10+ assists in a game in NBA history.
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They scored 23 threes last night while shooting a phenomenal 59% from deep. They showed how dangerous they can be, but NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe believes that won’t be enough to beat the Los Angeles Lakers. “Do I believe they can win 2 games? Yeah, I do. If they shoot the ball like they did yesterday, they can beat anybody. But I don’t think they can do that for a 7 games series.”
.@ShannonSharpe on if the Blazers can beat the Lakers in the 1st round:
“Do I believe they can win 2 games? Yeah, I do. If they shoot the ball like they did yesterday, they can beat anybody. But I don’t think they can do that for a 7 games series.” pic.twitter.com/yLD67vfr1D
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) August 7, 2020
Can the Portland Trail Blazers defy the odds?
With the Blazers not guaranteed a playoff spot yet, their two stars have been exerting every night to ensure that. Lillard is averaging 42.4 minutes in the four games so far, while McCollum is averaging 41.7 minutes so far.
The Blazers are most likely headed for a play-in tournament for the playoffs, so the exhaustion will continue. This will be a huge factor when the playoffs begin.
Although most of the burden will be on their dynamic duo, the Blazers will be happy with the performance of other players too. Sophomore Gary Trent Jr has been lighting it up, averaging 20 points off the bench while shooting a scintillating 62% from three.
Veteran Carmelo Anthony has been getting buckets consistently. His clutch three-pointer to seal the game against the Rockets showed that he has still got it and that the Blazers don’t have to over-rely on Lillard.
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With LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the same team, it will be one hell of a task to beat them. The Blazers will be hoping that the Lakers continue to shoot poorly, and at the same time, they can keep their own momentum going.
Their tough run of seeding games continues as they face the Clippers tomorrow, followed by a game against the 76ers on Sunday.
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