Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum Praised for Taking Control in Game 2

In Game 2 of the Portland Trail Blazers’ first-round NBA Playoffs series with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland’s backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum reminded viewers how special they can be. McCollum zigged and zagged all night to get his 33 points; Lillard used a variety of dizzying moves to notch his 29 points.

Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek gave both players praise for imposing their will on Game 2:

Lillard and McCollum were brilliant for extended stretches in Tuesday’s game and set the stage for their eventual run to the third round of the playoffs. Any time OKC built momentum, one of them darted through the lane, drilled a critical three-pointer or facilitated for teammates when defenders came too far out on their shots or collapsed on their penetration.

Polacek even goes on to say that Portland, behind the backcourt’s play and a favorable bracket, is looking poised for a Western Conference Finals appearance:

The talent, clutch factor and ability to rely on each other when one is either struggling or facing an elite defender is one reason the Trail Blazers will be in the Western Conference Finals, but so is their position in the postseason bracket.

You can read more from Polacek’s article here.