Damian Lillard rises up for the dunk on Rudy Gobert
Despite not yet having finished his third season, Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard has already cultivated a reputation as one of the most clutch shooters in the NBA. We’re now at the point where he deserves recognition for another special talent — dunking on dudes with impunity. Lillard has posterized opponents seemingly every few weeks. He’s controversially not an All-Star, but he sure would be at home in the dunk contest.
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Lillard claimed another victim in the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s home game against the Utah Jazz. With a bit more than seven minutes on the clock, Lillard drove through the lane and slammed on 7-2 center Rudy Gobert:
That basket gave the Blazers an 84-83 lead, but Lillard’s most clutch moment actually happened when he opted not to score. After Trey Burke hit a three-pointer to cut Portland’s lead to 103-102 in the final second of the game, the Jazz quickly fouled Lillard to send him to the line with 0.4 seconds. The typically dependable Lillard missed the first one and correctly decided not to try to make the second in order to force a rebound that would run out the rest of the clock. He did his job, and the Blazers escaped with the narrow victory.
Lillard led his team in the game as a whole, scoring 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting with six assists and two steals. LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and 11 rebounds alongside starting center Robin Lopez, who returned to the lineup after a 23-game absence due to a broken hand.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
