NBA Playoffs 2018-19: 3 Talking points from Portland Trail Blazers vs Denver Nuggets - Game 7
Final Score: Portland Trail Blazers 100 - 96 Denver Nuggets
With the series on the line in Game 7, two of the Western Conference powerhouse teams went at each other and put on a show in Denver. Even though the Nuggets started hot and entered half-time with a 9-point lead, the Blazers stormed back in the second half and went on to secure a 100-96 win.
With this win, the Blazers are going to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 19 years and will face the two-time defending NBA champions, Golden State Warriors. CJ McCollum played lights out and finished the game with 37 points (led both teams in scoring). For the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic had a double-double with 29 points and 13 rebounds.
We take a look at three talking points from this epic thriller in Mile High City.
#3 Damian Lillard's forgettable performance
Damian Lillard would not love to look at the box score of this game as the guard only shot 3-for-17 from the field and finished with just 13 points. He had 0 points in the first quarter and missed all five of his shots.
After averaging 33.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game and drilling an epic game-winner from the logo to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder from the playoffs, Lillard played second fiddle to CJ McCollum and had several off-shooting nights.
In the Game 2 victory in Denver, he only shot 5-17 and scored just 14 points. However, McCollum's yet another clutch performance got them a much needed win. You should also credit Dame for letting CJ take over games late in the fourth quarter on nights the point guard could not keep it going.