Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 4 loss vs. Nuggets

1. Dame Time delayed

Damian Lillard kicked off this semifinal series on a strong note, dropping 39 points in Game 1. However, his production over the last three games has been neutralized.

Lillard had a rough Game 2, scoring just 14 points on 29.4 percent shooting. He has followed that up with consecutive 28-point games. Over the last two games, he has shot 41.3 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from 3. Lillard is also distributing 7.5 assists per game while conceding 2.0 turnovers per game during this span. It’s unfair to say he’s been bad, but he definitely hasn’t been himself lately.

The difference over the past several games is that the Nuggets are better anticipating some of Lillard’s trademark antics. They’re playing up and switching on his high pick-and-rolls and face-guarding him tighter to prevent his parking-lot-distance 3-point attempts. He went 6-of-6 from beyond 30 feet in the first round, but has gone 2-of-5 from that distance in the conference semifinals.

Denver has done a good job of adjusting to Lillard’s tendencies in this series, muzzling his normally spectacular output. As the series returns to Pepsi Center, it will be up to Dame and the Blazers coaching staff to counter and find new ways to get him back to his All-NBA self.