Portland Trail Blazers Suffer an Injury Setback Ahead of Their Return to NBA Action

Portland Trail Blazers will have to do without their star man, Damian Lillard, as they return to NBA action against New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Lillard suffered a groin injury during the game against Memphis Grizzlies before the NBA All-Star weekend. He left the game in the final quarter and did not return. He later withdrew from the All-Star game as well as the three-point contest owing to the injury.

Lillard suffered the injury on a drive to the basket during a Feb. 12 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He attempted a tough shot around Memphis big man Jonas Valanciunas, then landed awkwardly with about 3:22 left and didn’t return.

Ahead of the Trail Blazers’ game against the Pelicans on Friday, Lillard said that he was still under rehabilitation and would miss a few more games before coming back.

“I’ve been doing rehab since Thursday of last week,” Lillard said. “It has gotten a lot better, but I think it’s just one of those things where you start feeling better right away, but I think that last 15, 10 percent is what takes the time, that’s what takes so long. Right now, I’m just continuing rehab.”

Damian Lillard difficult to replace for Portland Trail Blazers

Lillard has been in the form of his life before getting injured. He was consistently dropping over 30 points per game. Over the six games before his injury, he was averaging an impressive 48.8 points (on 54.8 percent shooting), 7.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists per game.

In the absence of their prime supplier, the Trail Blazers could have CJ McCollum to take up the playmaking duties. Talking about playing in Lillard’s absence, McCollum admitted that it is not easy for a single man to replace Lillard and the whole team will have to step up.

“Play hard, try to execute, keep the game close and win it down the stretch, protect home court and make sure I’m putting guys in the right position to succeed,” McCollum said. “Dame does a lot for us offensively, calling plays, facilitating and scoring. I’ll have to do a little bit more of that, but at the same time, it’s like, one person isn’t going to replace his production. We got to all be better.”

Currently occupying a place just below the playoff spot, the Trail Blazers will want Lillard to return as soon as possible.

Lillard could miss 3-5 games of action. Over the next five games, the Trail Blazers will play home games against New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, and Boston Celtics before road games against Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks.