Is Damian Lillard playing tonight against the Denver Nuggets? | 2021-22 NBA season
Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers returned to winning ways in their last NBA game against the Houston Rockets and are now up against the Denver Nuggets, who are on a four-game winning streak. However, Damian Lillard has not been at his very best although there has been improvement in recent games.
CJ McCollum is their top-scorer with 20.7 ppg so far, while Nassir Little also showed up in the last game with a return of 13 points and 14 rebounds. Lillard has faced multiple injury issues in recent months and is a doubt for the game against the Denver Nuggets.
In this article, we look at Lillard's chances of featuring in tonight’s NBA game.
Damian Lillard shared his frustration with NBA officiating after the Blazers' loss to the Clippers last night. https://t.co/YnCQ75rPbo
What is Damian Lillard’s status for tonight's game against Denver Nuggets?
Damian Lillard has been confirmed to be sitting out the game against the Denver Nuggets due to abdominal pain. Lillard has been facing similar issues since last season and ended up aggravating the injury during Team USA’s gold-winning run at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Blazers star Damian Lillard out vs. Nuggets with lower abdominal pain
sportando.basketball/en/blazers-sta…
On November 3rd, Lillard talked about the constant irritation in his abdomen that he has battled in recent months, but claimed that he was still capable of playing at his best:
"Anytime it gets irritated it just is a little irritation there, you know what I mean? But I've played with it for a few years now so I'm kinda immune to playing with it. I've played well, I've done a lot of things with it being irritated, but it's just irritating."
However, the Trail Blazers have confirmed Damian Lillard’s unavailability for tonight’s match.
When will Damian Lillard return?
The Portland Trail Blazers have had a number of issues in recent weeks with Damian Lillard not being at his usual level for the start of the season. Currently, there is no update regarding Damian Lillard’s potential return. He played against the Houston Rockets in the last game and finished with 20 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
The injury in question is a minor one and Lillard is expected to return in the coming days. He will probably be available for the Trail Blazers game against the Toronto Raptors. The coaching staff might decide to tread cautiously, though, considering Lillard’s importance to the Portland Trail Blazers roster.