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Damian Lillard entered the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs at Walt Disney World.
It would make sense for him to do it again in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series.
Lillard scored 34 points and had six threes to lead the Trail Blazers past the Lakers 100-93 on Tuesday night, spoiling LeBron James’ playoff debut with Los Angeles.
They are now the second No.8 seed today to knock out the No.1 seed in Game 1, following Orlando Magic’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks earlier Tuesday, the first time this has happened. since 2003.
Damian Lillard makes a layup against the Lakers on Tuesday night. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool / Getty Images)
Dame Time comes into play
The Trail Blazers got off early and took a 16-point lead in the first period behind a double-double from Jusuf Nurkic, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds in just the first 12 minutes.
The Lakers got back on their feet, however, and kept it near the second half while keeping Lillard scoreless in the fourth quarter.
That’s when Dame Time stepped in.
Lillard then made three of his next four 3-point attempts – including an absolute bomb just inside the half-court logo – to put Portland back in the lead.
From there, the Trail Blazers held their ground and finished the game in a 19-6 run for the seven-point victory.
CJ McCollum added 21 points in the win and Nurkic finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. The outing was the first time since January that Portland held an opponent below 100 points, but also scored the fewest points scored in an all-season win.
While they have a long way to go to get out of the first round and pass a Lakers team that many consider to be long-time title favorites, Lillard is not worried.
“I’m not worried about our mentality for the future because I know our team”, he said, via AJ McCord from KOIN. “The leaders of our team, the team is going to go where we’re going and I know where it is so I’m not at all concerned.
LeBron James’ historic beginnings
James has always had a historic outing in his playoff debut with the Lakers, recording 23 points, 17 rebounds and 16 assists, scoring the 24th career triple-double in the playoffs and the most assists he has ever seen. he got in a playoff game. He is the first player in league history with a triple double of 20 points, 15 rebounds and 15 playoff assists.
Anthony Davis added 28 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, and Kyle Kuzma had 14 points off the bench. As a team, however, the Lakers struggled offensively and only shot 5 of 32 from behind the arc and missed 11 free throws.
James defends Breonna Taylor again
James showed up to the game with a red hat that read “Make America Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor” with the words “Great Again” crossed out, and called attention to his death once again after the loss.
Taylor, a former paramedic, was shot eight times and killed by police in March after entering his Louisville, Kentucky apartment in the middle of the night. His death, along with that of George Floyd in Minneapolis, has since sparked widespread outrage and protests across the country.
“You know the situation that is going on in Louisville, Kentucky, an innocent woman killed as Breonna Taylor,” James said. “[She was] a woman who had a bright future, and her life was taken from her.
“There were no arrests. There has been no justice, not only for her but for her family, and we want to continue to shed light on this situation, because it is just plain unfair.
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