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Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard wins final Western Conference Player of the Week

By Andy Quach

Mar 4, 2020; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0), guard CJ McCollum (3) and forward Carmelo Anthony (00) during the singing of the national anthem before a game against the Washington Wizards at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2020; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0), guard CJ McCollum (3) and forward Carmelo Anthony (00) during the singing of the national anthem before a game against the Washington Wizards at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Damian Lillard put the city on his back to secure a playoff spot for the Portland Trail Blazers. Led by Lillard’s 31.8 points and 6.8 assists per game, the Blazers wrapped up the last week of the regular season going 3-1, including a playoff clinching showdown against their upcoming first-round opponent, the Denver Nuggets.

The entire team seems to be peaking at just the right time as they head into the post-season. The Blazers went 10-2 in their last 12 games to propel themselves out of the play-in conversation and clinch the sixth seed. A big reason for their elevated play was the inspired play of their superstar point guard.

Dame D.O.L.L.A is no stranger to raising his game to meet the stakes. Stats books may as well rename their clutch measurements to DAME TIME numbers.

The Nuggets need to avoid close finishes against the Blazers

In the 2020-2021 season, the six-time All-Star led the league in total clutch points, or points scored in a game within five points with less than five minutes remaining. According to NBA.com, he totaled 162 points in only 126 total clutch minutes played. The second leading scorer was Bradley Beal with 150 points in 141 minutes.

Dame’s late game heroics made the Portland Trail Blazers the best clutch team in the NBA. For the season, they were a +112 points in the last five minutes of games within five points. The next best team were the Los Angeles Lakers with a paltry +57 net total in comparison to the Blazers.

This could mean trouble for the Denver Nuggets who have a tendency to play close games. They finished in the top 10 of teams in total clutch minutes played in 2020-2021.

Damian Lillard is peaking at just the right time

In almost every Blazer game, you can count on Dame D.O.L.L.A to do the exact right thing at the exact right time. He seems to be doing just that this season.

It should strike fear into the Nuggets faithful that Lillard has only gotten better as the season wore on. While Denver’s motivation in the regular season finale was questionable at best, the way the Blazers bombarded them on offense should be taken as a serious warning.

Portland was able to get any shot they wanted on the perimeter, finishing with 18 total 3-pointers made on a scorching 42 percent shooting. The scariest part is that Dame actually had a pretty sub-par game.

He only totaled 22 points in the season finale, bringing down his then average of 35 points per game for the week.

If they play the Blazers close, the Nuggets can expect to get some first-hand experience of Dame Time at its finest.