With Stephen Curry watching from the bench wearing street clothes, Damian Lillard gave a performance worthy of the reigning MVP. Just like Curry, Lillard rained fire from outside, drove to the rim using his amazing handle and found teammates in scoring position when the entire defense tried to stop him.
NBA playoff scores 2016: Damian Lillard did a perfect Stephen Curry impression in Game 3
When he’s at his best, the Blazers point guard comes the closest to matching the league MVP’s impact on offense.
Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Just like Curry's Warriors do when he's available, Lillard's Trail Blazers looked unstoppable on offense for stretches en route to a 120-108 victory at home.
It’s not the first time Lillard has been likened to Curry. While one is clearly a step above the other, their skill sets are similar. Their jump shots force defenses to guard them beyond the three-point line and both have the quickness to get to the rim at will. Curry is just a little better at everything and does it more consistently. But when Lillard is on, the resemblance becomes uncanny.
Take this three-pointer as an example. Most players wouldn’t be able to get this shot off, much less make it.
Sure, the release is a little slower but the defender is doomed anyway. There are only a handful of guards who are that dangerous pulling up off the dribble.
Since he was killing them from outside, the Warriors tried to treat Lillard like most opponents treat Curry: by putting their best defender on him and sending help to make him get rid of the ball. Just like Curry does, Lillard found the open man when that was the best course of action and refused to let the defense dictate his actions when it wasn’t, always remaining aggressive.
Lillard was relentless, first matching Klay Thompson shot for shot in the first half and then out-dueling a scorching hot Draymond Green in the second. There was nothing Golden State could do to shut him down. They now finally know what it's like for opponents to face them when their best player gets in a groove.
He was so much like Curry that he even beat him to a stat line that seemed destined to belong to the Warriors’ star.
Damian Lillard is the first player in NBA Playoff history with 40+ points, 10+ assists, 5+ rebounds and 5+ 3-pointers (Elias).
— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) May 8, 2016
Of course, the real deal could be returning soon. After missing the first three games of the series, Curry might give it a go in Game 4. If he does, the pressure will be on Lillard. Will he be able to out-Curry Curry in a head-to-head matchup at least three times, to give his team a shot at completing a huge upset? It doesn’t seem likely.
Watching him try, however, would be as fun as it gets.
3 other things we learned
Kyle Lowry broke out of his slump
While not as impressive as Lillard's night, Kyle Lowry's 33-point outing might be more significant to his team. It propelled the Raptors past the Heat in a close game but it also means that the slump is officially over. After failing to shoot over 40 percent from the field in the playoffs, Lowry went 11-for-19 and 5-for-8 on three-pointers.
It remains to be seen if this is the beginning of a hot streak or a blip in an otherwise terrible shooting performance in the postseason. The elbow injury that was partially to blame for his struggles is still there. If Lowry is in fact back, however, the Raptors’ chances of beating the Heat increase significantly. They have been surviving without him but he’s their best player and they need him back.
Injuries could change the Heat vs. Raptors series
Hassan Whiteside had to leave the court and head to the locker room after suffering a knee injury early in the second quarter of Game 3. Then in the third period it was Jonas Valanciunas who got hurt an left the game for good.
Valanciunas' injury seemed less serious than Whiteside's. He sprained his ankle and tried to return to the game after having it re-taped. The Heat's big man had X-rays that were negative but has been diagnosed with a knee sprain. If only Whiteside has to miss future games, that's a huge edge for Toronto, although Valanciunas could be limited.
It’s always bad when injuries have a big impact on series. Hopefully they will both be healthy enough to suit up in Game 4.
Two great performances went to waste for the Warriors
The loss in Portland is not a huge cause for concern for the Warriors. The Blazers were expected to be energized at home and Lillard had one of those nights. There was no fatal flaw uncovered or anything like that. If Curry returns, Golden State should have no trouble advancing, Even if he doesn’t for a couple more games, they should be considered the favorite. There’s obviously no need to panic.
It is a little worrying that two amazing performance went to waste, though. Klay Thompson dropped 18 points in the first quarter and finished with 35 points. Draymond Green caught fire from beyond the arc and scored eight three-pointers on his way to 37 points on 23 shots. On a normal night, that would have been enough for the Warriors to win but their defense was poor and their supporting cast was MIA.
The rest of the team will likely do better going forward, which might be necessary. It’s not all that likely that the two stars put together such great performances in the same game again.
Play of the night
Get out of the way, Andrew Bogut!
1 fun thing
Final scores
Raptors 95, Heat 91 (Raptors HQ recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap)
Trail Blazers 120, Warriors 108 (Blazer’s Edge recap | Golden State of Mind recap)
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