With the Portland Trail Blazers struggling to maintain a playoff push, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the franchise shut superstar guard Damian Lillard down for the regular season finale.
The Blazers are on a six-game losing skid at the moment and 13th in the West standings with a 31-40 record. They are 3,5 games behind the LA Lakers (35-37), who hold the final play-in spot.
“We pretty much fallen out of the race for the 10th spot… I love to play, I love the competition and I haven’t been ready to give that up. But it does come a point in time when do you stop putting your competitive nature out front,” Damian Lillard said on Sunday, as the Blazers lost to the LA Clippers at home (117-102).
"We pretty much fallen out of the race for the 10th spot… I love to play, I love the competition and I haven't been ready to give that up. But it does come a point in time when do you stop putting your competitive nature out front."
— Damian Lillardpic.twitter.com/1N2IodudOE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 20, 2023
With 11 games left for the regular season finale, Portland is on the brink of elimination and advancing to the play-in tournament doesn’t depend only on its own results.
Hence, it is very likely Lillard will sit out the remainder of the regular season, which comes to an end on April 9. The 32-year-old star guard is averaging 32.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season, on 46.3% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc.
