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Lillard third on NBA rookie ladder

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July 15 -- Portland's Damian Lillard was slow to get going, but once he did, the birthday boy got it going. Lillard scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half Sunday night (on his 22nd birthday), and looked good doing it. Lillard ran the pick-and-roll well with fellow first-rounder Meyers Leonard (who had a double-double and could be on the Ladder soon) and got to the rim well, going to both his left and right. Lillard's nice debut lands him a high rung, but we'll see if he'll be able to hold onto it. Also climbing is Bradley Beal, who struggled a bit from the floor, but was effective and aggressive getting to the rim. Beal finished with 20 points in his third game and upped his average to 18.7 points in Vegas.