According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the Toronto Raptors and not the Heat are currently the favorites to land Lillard. The talks between the Raptors and Portland have intensified in recent days, and the two sides are getting closer to an agreement.

The Heat tried to make a deal with the Blazers, but their offer, which centered on shooting guard Tyler Herro and several first-round picks, has been deemed underwhelming by Portland’s front office. The Raptors’ offer, on the other hand, is regarded as much more attractive.

Toronto has several players that are interesting to the Blazers, including All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, former Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, and 2023’s steals leader O.G. Anunoby. It is believed that the Raptors can seal the deal if they offer two of the previously mentioned players alongside a couple of first-rounders.

There are several other suitors for Lillard who could make a late attempt, including the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blazers reportedly would like to have a deal in place by the end of the month, which would ensure a controversy-free training camp.

The post Toronto Raptors Emerge as Favorites to Land Blazers’ Superstar Damian Lillard appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

At 32 years of age, Lillard becomes the eighth player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a single game as well as the oldest player to do so. In addition, he is the first player aged 30 or older to accomplish this feat.

“I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people,” Lillard said after the win, “when I’m in attack mode.” The point guard also scored 13 3-pointers off 22 attempts, thereby going just one shy of the NBA record set by the Golden State Warrior’s Klay Thompson in 2018.

By scoring 71 points, Lillard is tied with Elgin Baylor (1960), David Robinson (1994), and Donovan Mitchell (2023) fo the eighth-most points in a single NBA game in history. Wilt Chamberlain currently holds the record, scoring 100 points for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962.

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The previous record-holder was Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who made 11 shots from behind the three-point arc in 2016 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Lillard finished the game with 55 points and 10 assists while making 17 out of 24 field goals attempted and going 12 of 17 from the three-pointline. Unfortunately for Portland, this magnificent outing wasn’t enough to overcome the Nuggets, who won 147-140 in two overtimes and took a 3-2 lead in the series.

After the game, Lillard received praise from Denver head coach Michael Malone, who called him superhuman.

“It was the best playoff performance I’ve ever seen,” added Blazers coach Terry Stotts.

But the 30-year-old All-Star seemed not to care all that much about his individual achievement.

“It don’t matter. We lost the game,” said Lillard after the game. “At this point, all that matters is we can’t lose another game in the series. We go out there, and we play to win the game, and we came up short.”

Lillard and the Blazers still have a chance to dig themselves out of the 3-2 hole and advance to the second round. They host the Nuggets in their Moda Center on Thursday for Game 6 and need to win in order to force the deciding Game 7.

The post Damian Lillard Breaks NBA Playoff Record with 12 Three-Pointers appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Lillard recently took part in a Q&A session with Vanity Fair, and the interviewer Lisa Robinson mentioned his affection for the Knicks at one point. The 29-year-old All-Star followed that up with a surprising remark, admitting that he thought he’d be traded to New York a few years ago.

“I thought I was headed there a few years ago; I was hearing trade rumors,” said Lillard. “The Garden is my favorite place to play.”

Lillard didn’t follow up on the remark, so we don’t know how close he was to playing in Madison Square Garden.

There is a possibility that Damian Lillard is referencing to the summer of 2018. At the time, Lillard was reportedly frustrated with Portland’s inability to compete for a title and was looking for a way out. A list of the potential destinations included the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.

Trail Blazers ended up convincing Lillard to stay and later signed him to a super-max extension that will keep him with the franchise through 2025. Knicks, on the other hand, are still without a star in the Garden.

The post Damian Lillard Thought He’ll Join the Knicks “A Few Years Ago” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While Lillard’s injury isn’t serious, he still opted to use the All-Star break to recover in order to help Trail Blazers make a playoff push in the remaining part of the season.

“Obviously, that’s something you look forward to,” said Lillard. “Those festivities and having fun, but my health is first.”

Lillard, who supposed to also take part in the 3-point contest, said that he will still be in Chicago to spend some time with his fellow All-Stars.

“Hopefully somebody who should have been there that didn’t make it, but unfortunately I had to be the fall guy,” he added. “But hopefully Devin Booker, someone like that, will get the spot.”

Damian Lillard has been having an exceptional season in 2019/20 despite Portland’s struggles to get to a playoff spot in the West. Lillard has career numbers, averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds for the season so far. The 29-year-old was exceptionally good since the beginning of the year, as he is averaging 38.4 points and 9.4 assists in the last month.

Portland Trail Blazers are currently ninth in the Western Conference, being five games behind Memphis Grizzlies on the eighth and final playoff spot.

The post Damian Lillard Suffers Groin Strain, Won’t Take Part in All-Star Weekend appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, the Toronto Raptors and not the Heat are currently the favorites to land Lillard. The talks between the Raptors and Portland have intensified in recent days, and the two sides are getting closer to an agreement.

The Heat tried to make a deal with the Blazers, but their offer, which centered on shooting guard Tyler Herro and several first-round picks, has been deemed underwhelming by Portland’s front office. The Raptors’ offer, on the other hand, is regarded as much more attractive.

Toronto has several players that are interesting to the Blazers, including All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, former Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, and 2023’s steals leader O.G. Anunoby. It is believed that the Raptors can seal the deal if they offer two of the previously mentioned players alongside a couple of first-rounders.

There are several other suitors for Lillard who could make a late attempt, including the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics, and the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blazers reportedly would like to have a deal in place by the end of the month, which would ensure a controversy-free training camp.

The post Toronto Raptors Emerge as Favorites to Land Blazers’ Superstar Damian Lillard appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

At 32 years of age, Lillard becomes the eighth player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a single game as well as the oldest player to do so. In addition, he is the first player aged 30 or older to accomplish this feat.

“I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people,” Lillard said after the win, “when I’m in attack mode.” The point guard also scored 13 3-pointers off 22 attempts, thereby going just one shy of the NBA record set by the Golden State Warrior’s Klay Thompson in 2018.

By scoring 71 points, Lillard is tied with Elgin Baylor (1960), David Robinson (1994), and Donovan Mitchell (2023) fo the eighth-most points in a single NBA game in history. Wilt Chamberlain currently holds the record, scoring 100 points for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962.

The post Damian Lillard Scores Career-Best 71 Points appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The previous record-holder was Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who made 11 shots from behind the three-point arc in 2016 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Lillard finished the game with 55 points and 10 assists while making 17 out of 24 field goals attempted and going 12 of 17 from the three-pointline. Unfortunately for Portland, this magnificent outing wasn’t enough to overcome the Nuggets, who won 147-140 in two overtimes and took a 3-2 lead in the series.

After the game, Lillard received praise from Denver head coach Michael Malone, who called him superhuman.

“It was the best playoff performance I’ve ever seen,” added Blazers coach Terry Stotts.

But the 30-year-old All-Star seemed not to care all that much about his individual achievement.

“It don’t matter. We lost the game,” said Lillard after the game. “At this point, all that matters is we can’t lose another game in the series. We go out there, and we play to win the game, and we came up short.”

Lillard and the Blazers still have a chance to dig themselves out of the 3-2 hole and advance to the second round. They host the Nuggets in their Moda Center on Thursday for Game 6 and need to win in order to force the deciding Game 7.

The post Damian Lillard Breaks NBA Playoff Record with 12 Three-Pointers appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Lillard recently took part in a Q&A session with Vanity Fair, and the interviewer Lisa Robinson mentioned his affection for the Knicks at one point. The 29-year-old All-Star followed that up with a surprising remark, admitting that he thought he’d be traded to New York a few years ago.

“I thought I was headed there a few years ago; I was hearing trade rumors,” said Lillard. “The Garden is my favorite place to play.”

Lillard didn’t follow up on the remark, so we don’t know how close he was to playing in Madison Square Garden.

There is a possibility that Damian Lillard is referencing to the summer of 2018. At the time, Lillard was reportedly frustrated with Portland’s inability to compete for a title and was looking for a way out. A list of the potential destinations included the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.

Trail Blazers ended up convincing Lillard to stay and later signed him to a super-max extension that will keep him with the franchise through 2025. Knicks, on the other hand, are still without a star in the Garden.

The post Damian Lillard Thought He’ll Join the Knicks “A Few Years Ago” appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While Lillard’s injury isn’t serious, he still opted to use the All-Star break to recover in order to help Trail Blazers make a playoff push in the remaining part of the season.

“Obviously, that’s something you look forward to,” said Lillard. “Those festivities and having fun, but my health is first.”

Lillard, who supposed to also take part in the 3-point contest, said that he will still be in Chicago to spend some time with his fellow All-Stars.

“Hopefully somebody who should have been there that didn’t make it, but unfortunately I had to be the fall guy,” he added. “But hopefully Devin Booker, someone like that, will get the spot.”

Damian Lillard has been having an exceptional season in 2019/20 despite Portland’s struggles to get to a playoff spot in the West. Lillard has career numbers, averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 assists, and 4.3 rebounds for the season so far. The 29-year-old was exceptionally good since the beginning of the year, as he is averaging 38.4 points and 9.4 assists in the last month.

Portland Trail Blazers are currently ninth in the Western Conference, being five games behind Memphis Grizzlies on the eighth and final playoff spot.

The post Damian Lillard Suffers Groin Strain, Won’t Take Part in All-Star Weekend appeared first on yoursportspot.com.