On December 20, Beijing time, the Blazers defeated the Grizzlies 105-100 on the road to win two consecutive wins, and the Grizzlies' five-game winning streak ended. In this game, the two teams played very stiffly, the score gap could not be widened, and at the end of the half, the Grizzlies held a one-point lead. In the second half, the Trail Blazers rebounded, especially in the fourth quarter, when the team exploded a 28-20 offense in a single quarter, and in the final moments, the team hit consecutive shots and the Grizzlies failed to respond at key moments. In the end, the Blazers beat the Grizzlies by five points on the road to win back-to-back games.
The best player in this game was Lillard, who started 38 minutes, shot 9 of 19 from 9-of-19 shooting, and had 32 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists on 3-of-9 three-point range, and in the final quarter, he personally got 6 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Lillard's performance was crucial to the team's ability to win, showing what the team leader should do to help the Blazers beat the Grizzlies on the road.
In the past two games, Lillard's form has rebounded, and in the previous game against the Hornets, Lillard also ushered in an outbreak, he shot 12 of 19 and 6 of 11 three-pointers in 37 minutes to get 43 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists, which also helped the team win the game. In the last two games, Lillard scored 75 points while shooting nine three-pointers on the perimeter line, which was a good performance. At least 30 points in two consecutive games, this is also the first time this season, compared to his performance at the beginning of the season, in the past two games, Lillard's form has rebounded, playing his own performance.
I believe many fans know that the Blazers' record in the past period of time is very unsatisfactory, they have suffered 7 consecutive losses, the ranking has fallen out of the top 10 in the West, the team as a whole is sluggish, lack of competitiveness, and lack of energy in the game. After losing seven straight, Lillard found his own shooting touch, he has scored in the past two games with his personal ability, and he has also been able to help his teammates get the opportunity to shoot in the open position, in the past two games, Lillard has delivered 13 assists, and the performance is still very comprehensive. After losing seven straight, Lillard's outstanding performance helped the Blazers win back-to-back.
This season's Blazers are not in an ideal situation, the team has suffered from injuries, coupled with The Effect is not ideal after Billups coached, many players are outside the tactical system, did not have a good chemistry, and Lillard is also in a slump, at the beginning of the season, he has successively appeared outside the shooting situation, the overall personal shooting rate is less than 40%, the three-point shooting rate has been less than 20%, and the personal play can be described as a large lead.
Fortunately, after the adjustment, Lillard's recent performance is still very good, he can get high scores in the game, shooting efficiency is also very good, and he can also lead the team to victory. In a way, after a slump at the start of the season, Lillard gradually got back on track and showed his dominance in the game. With Lillard back on track, it's believed the Trail Blazers are back on track, and in the next game, they will still be strong contenders for this season's playoffs.