Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard Reestablishing Himself On Top Of The NBA

After a long year for Damian Lillard, in which he spent the entire season watching from the sidelines with an Achilles injury, there was doubt whether the now 36-year-old would be the same player he was in his first stint in Portland with the Trail Blazers. Now he’s back healthy and playing in his second stint in Oregon’s biggest city and showing signs that he is fully back to his old self.

The Trail Blazers are entering the back half of a back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a chance to walk away with two wins against one of the NBA’s best teams.

The Trail Blazers’ 20-point win over the Thunder last night, 123-103, was just their second win in their last 21 meetings, and they are looking for another as Lillard, a Portland legend, regains his top-tier status.

Lillard had a team-high 25 points along with three rebounds and three assists. He went 8-for-15 from the field and 4-for-10 from three, plus a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.

He’s currently averaging 20 points a game while playing almost eight minutes less than usual in his career as they ease him back in.

The team sits 7-3 after their win against Oklahoma City last night, with the Western Conference standings tightening as the year closes in on 10% of the way through.

Another win against the Thunder tonight would be a statement for a team that hasn’t been a top title contender since Lillard was on the team.