----- Damian Lillard explodes for 51-points as the Portland Trail Blazers keep their NBA Playoff hopes alive with a 124-121 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday in Orlando.
Damian Lillard to the rescue!
The Portland Trail Blazers needed all of Damian Lillard's 51 points Sunday to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 124-121 as the Blazers pull to within a half game of the Memphis Grizzlies for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The day turned into a redemption Sunday for Lillard. On Saturday, he missed a pair of free throws with 18.6 seconds to go and a three-pointer with 9.5 seconds left in a 122-117 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Sixers were playing short-handed without Ben Simmons (knee) and Joel Embiid left the game in the first quarter with a left ankle injury. Without their stars, the Sixers fell behind by 17 in the second quarter and trailed 67-58 at halftime.
Once again, the Trail Blazers were plagued by a poor second half after a fast start. They missed shots, the offense grew stagnant, and Portland's defense was a mess with Jusuf Nurkic getting into early foul trouble and Hassan Whiteside missing his second-straight game due to a sore hip.
After dominating the third quarter, Philadelphia built a six-point lead with 4:23 to play, but Portland responded with a 12-0 burst to take control of the game. Lillard scored seven of his 18 fourth-quarter points during this stretch including a four-point play when he was fouled by Josh Richardson on a 27-footer.
Lillard was determined to carry his team when they needed him most.
“I just remember looking up there (at the scoreboard) thinking, just keep the lead,” Lillard said. “Instead of playing from behind -- that's uncomfortable to be down two and don’t score, they could go up five. I just looked up there like, ‘OK, how let’s walk away from them now. Let’s close the game out and stop messing around with our season.’”
Portland's win officially eliminates the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans from postseason contention. The Blazers are now battling the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, and Phoenix Suns for the final playoff spot with two-games to play.
The math is simple for Portland as they control their own destiny. If they win their final two-games against Dallas and Brooklyn, they will be in the play-in games scheduled for next Saturday and Sunday.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will meet the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday from the bubble in Orlando. The game is scheduled to tip off at 3:30 PM.
Chad's Take- Damian Lillard saved the Blazers today.