‘Lillard Time’ in full effect, as Damian Lillard makes a statement at 2018 NBA All-Star Game

The NBA played its 67th All-Star Game Sunday night. Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard found his groove early and stayed hot.

It was a new format for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game to try and bring more excitement to the game and more competitiveness from the players. Instead of doing East vs. West, each All-Star player was put into a pool, and the teams were picked by two captains.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry were the leading the vote-getters for their conference, so they were named captains. Players were either a part of Team LeBron or Team Curry.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard was selected to in his third All-Star appearance and was drafted by Team Curry. Lillard missed the All-Star game the last two seasons and had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder coming into this game.

In 2014, Lillard had nine points and one rebound. In 2015, Lillard had 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, and four turnovers.

How did Damian Lillard do in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game?

First Half

Lillard picked up right where he left off against the Golden State Warriors just four days ago when he scored 44 points.

Lillard was one of the first subs into the game by Team Curry. In the first quarter, he missed his first two shots but then hit a mid-range jumper and a driving layup off a rebound.

The three-time All-Star looked comfortable right away when he entered the game and looked to get involved and make an impact early.

In the second quarter, Lillard only played few minutes but showed off his sniper skills by hitting a deep 3-point shot from the All-Star logo.

Lillard had a ton of talent around him and wasn’t trying to hog the ball.  He finished playing the first quarter, started the second, and played a few minutes before sitting the rest of the half.

The Blazers guard finished the first half with seven points, two rebounds and one assist in nine minutes, shooting 3-of-6 overall. At the end of the first half, Team LeBron was up on Team Curry 78-76.

Second half

Lillard got the start in the second half, replacing Curry at the point guard spot. Dame Dolla came out hot in the third.

He hit two mid-range jumpers and a 3-point shot

Lillard scored seven points and dished out one assist in six minutes. He did not force any bad shots and just let the game come to him. After starting the third, he was pulled then sat the rest of the quarter.

Lillard stayed cooking in the fourth, and it became Lillard Time at the All-Star game. He came out and hit a deep 3-point shot to start the fourth.

He then added a layup and a long 2-point jumper. Lillard played just four minutes, but had seven points, and one rebound. He helped Team Curry jump out to a 133-120 lead before he was pulled with 6:57 left and did not return.

For the entire game, Lillard finished with 21 points, hit three 3-point shots, grabbed three rebounds, and had two assists in 20 minutes of action.

For Damian Lillard, he proved to his peers and the rest of the NBA world that he is indeed a superstar and belongs in any type of All-Star setting. Now he heads back to Portland to help the Blazers make a playoff push in the Western Conference.

Team Curry needed some “Lillard Time”

With Lillard sitting the rest of the game, Team Curry struggled and let Team LeBron come back from a double-digit deficit to make it a nailbiter of a finish that came down to the last shot.

Team Curry could have used a big shot from Lillard in the final seconds of the game because in the end, Team LeBron beat Team Curry, 148-145.

If Lillard would’ve been put back into the game and helped his team hold onto the win, he might have been in the running for All-Star MVP. He was the runner-up behind LeBron James in the voting results.

Lillard ended the game tied with DeMar DeRozan for the second most points scored with 21. LeBron James led the way with 29 points.

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This new All-Star system was a success and this was one of the best All-Star games we have had in a long time. Now they just need to televise the draft.