Damian Lillard will miss his first game of the 2021-22 season on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets. Apparently, the Portland Trail Blazers star is dealing with abdominal pain.
As Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl shared, Lillard has lower abdominal tendinopathy. While no other details were provided regarding his treatment and recovery, it is worth noting that it's an injury he has been dealing since his Tokyo Olympics stint.
Damian Lillard (lower abdominal tendinopathy) is OUT for Sunday's game versus the Nuggets in Denver.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) November 13, 2021
While Damian Lillard has been struggling this season–averaging 20.0 points, which is the second-lowest in his career after his rookie year–he remains a huge part of the Blazers' offense. He attracts a ton of attention with his seemingly limitless range, which allows his teammates to find better opportunities to score.
In his absence, CJ McCollum is expected to carry the scoring load for the team. McCollum is actually leading the team in points, albeit just by a few margin from Lillard at 20.7. Anfernee Simons is also expected to feature prominently against the Nuggets with Dame Time out.
As a bit of a good news for the Blazers, they recently witnessed Nassir Little break out with 13 points and 14 rebounds in their win over the Houston Rockets. The third-year swingman has shown his two-way capability, and with Lillard absent, Chauncey Billups could give him more opportunity to play and gain confidence in his game.
The Nuggets will be tough opponents with Nikola Jokic leading the charge, but it's a chance for the Blazers to show Lillard that he can rely on them in his championship aspirations.
Follow Us
Subscribe