Chauncey Billups Praises Damian Lillard for Nuggets Game

The Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Denver Nuggets on the road 113-122 on Tuesday, despite another Herculean, 44-point performance from star guard Damian Lillard. Portland now sits at 21-23 in the Western Conference standings, good for 11th place as they attempt to climb back toward the front of the pack.

After the game, Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups expressed his satisfaction with the team’s play but credited the Nuggets for taking advantage of the Trail Blazers’ missteps.

I thought we was in good shape for the most part, and then the end of the third – that stretch at the end of the third really hurt us. We had a couple chances to cut into it pretty good, just couldn’t get over the hump. But we kept fighting, we kept fighting. Obviously, Dame had it going, we just couldn’t stop them. First half we gave up, like, 26 transition points in the half. And they are the best in the league at it, but that’s a lot. Then we came out and we started to turn it over a little bit in the third quarter. (We had) three turnovers pretty early. You know, passing turnovers. Live ball so they can get out and go. You can’t absorb that against this team, in particular here in this building. It got away from us a little bit and, you know, it was a good team. Give them credit.

The Trail Blazers have one day off to regroup before hosting Joel Embiid, James Harden, and the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.