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#pounditThursday, March 28, 2024

Damian Lillard confident about possible playoff matchup against Lakers

Damian Lillard

The Los Angeles Lakers pose a formidable matchup in the first round against whichever team earns the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but Damian Lillard, for one, would welcome the challenge.

In an interview this week with Lisa Robinson of Vanity Fair, the Portland Trail Blazers star was asked if he would want to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the postseason.

“Of course,” replied Lillard. “I think we could beat them.”

While the Lakers are obviously a force, their major advantages on the inside and on the glass could be countered by Portland. Hassan Whiteside had been leading the league in blocks per game (on top of ranking second in rebounds per game), and the Blazers are expected to get another pair of frontcourt brutes back from injury in Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins as well. Add in the scoring punch of the Lillard-CJ McCollum backcourt and the addition of a versatile veteran defender in Trevor Ariza, and Portland could prove to be a pest.

What’s more is that the Blazers, despite currently ranking ninth in the West, will have an advantage in the standings for the NBA’s planned restart. And though Portland was 1-2 this season against the Lakers, the team they send to Orlando could be a much-improved one, helping explain Lillard’s confidence.

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