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Dallas Mavericks’ Head Coach Highlights Team’s Severe. Flaws in Handling Damian Lillard

Published 08/12/2020, 4:05 PM EDT

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With records being created and broken every day, the NBA inside the Orlando bubble gets better with each passing minute. That being said, Damian Lillard has played a big role in making that possible. Whether on-court or off-court, he has provided a bucket load of entertainment for everyone.

In Monday’s match against the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers outdid themselves. Clearly, Damian hadn’t come to lose. He proved this by tying his career-high 61 points and lifting the Blazers to the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Blazers beat the Mavericks with a score of 134-131.

Damian Lillard bags crucial win

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This came two days before he scored 51 points in their win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Known for turning over the game in the last quarter, he bagged 22 points in the fourth quarter itself. What’s surprising is that this was his third 60 point game of the season. With this, he became one of the only two players in NBA History with three 60-point outings in a particular season, alongside Wilt Chamberlain.

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This game was crucial for the Blazers in order to surpass the Memphis Grizzlies which they successfully did. With remarkable back-to-back performances, Damian is now averaging 29.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8 assists.

He even became the first Trail Blazers player to have two 50 point games consecutively.

Setting multiple records in one game, Lillard proved everyone who ever questioned his abilities as a player wrong. He set the team record for 3-pointers made in a game and 16 on 16 free throws without a miss.

Mavericks Coach decodes what went wrong

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Rick Carlisle, the Dallas Mavericks coach, spoke about what the team actually did wrong which led to Damian Lillard completely breaking loose, causing them to endure the painful loss. Although disappointed by the team, he acknowledged how great a player Damian really is.

He said, “Coming into the game, we said he’s going to shoot 15 3’s somehow. He got up 17. The problem was that he kept getting to the free throw line. I haven’t looked at the film yet as far as whether the calls were accurate or whatever, but great players have a knack for getting the whistle to blow. Luka’s the same way; he gets the whistle to blow. In the end, we were unable to keep him off the free throw line. When you let a guy who shoots like that shoot 18 free throws and score 18 points with the clock stopped, you’re putting yourself up against it. But he’s a great player and puts you in some tough spots, no question about it.”

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The Portland Trail Blazers are playing the Brooklyn Nets next on August 14. It’s always a pleasure to see what Damian will display next for us on the court.

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia

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Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.
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