Two of the best point guards in the NBA battle it out!
The Golden State Warriors lead the NBA at 16-2 despite lacking their All-Starguard Klay Thompson and young center prospect James Wiseman. Meanwhile the Portland Trail Blazers are scuffling at 10-9, and star guard Damian Lillard isn’t upholding his usual lofty standards, at least per Blazers Edge:
Through 17 games, Portland’s All Star is shooting 40.2% from the field, a drastic career low. That’s eclipsed by his 30.8% success rate from the three-point arc. For reference, 34.3% is the lowest mark Lillard has ever registered in a season.
Thanks to a couple huge games, Lillard is averaging 21.8 PPG. That’s impressive, but it’s also his lowest mark since 2014-15, when he played alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and attempted 2.4 fewer shots per game.
Lillard is averaging 7 fewer points this season than last while taking only 1 less field goal attempt per game. That’s quite a drop.
All these years with Lillard and Portland apparently still hasn’t figured out how to put enough complementary talent around him; if he struggles so does the team. On the other hand, the Warriors are benefiting from a group dynamic around two-time MVP candidate wherein the team can survive if he’s off.
The scariest thing right now about the Warriors is how they’re unlocking deeper rotation guys. It was Payton a couple weeks ago. Now JTA. They’re an uncontrolled chain-reaction of talent and focus at the moment.
— Fast Break (@GSWFastBreak) November 25, 2021
Stephen Curry vs Lillard is box office, and this will be a good game between two franchises that have clashed frequently during the Splash Bros era.