Damian Lillard takes blame for Blazers’ struggles
The Portland Trail Blazers have lost five straight games and 10 of their last 13. The struggles have jeopardized their playoff spot, dropping them to seventh in the West. In light of it all, Damian Lillard is pointing the finger squarely at himself.
Lillard said he had to be better after Sunday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, blaming himself for not playing well enough to help the team avoid the losing run.
Damian Lillard: "I'm not playing well enough. I'm on the floor because that gives our team the best chance to win, and I've got to be better."
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) April 25, 2021
Lillard was held to 23 points on 8-of-27 shooting on Sunday. His scoring output has fallen off in the last month, and he hasn’t had a 30-point game since Apr. 2. Part of that might be down to a lingering hamstring issue, which recently held him out of action for three games.
The Blazers are getting healthy, with Jusuf Nurkic and C.J. McCollum both returning to action in recent weeks. It doesn’t seem to have helped the team’s play, though. No wonder their coach might be on the hot seat.
