In game two of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers playoff showdown, things got a little chippy between Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook. Despite the Thunder jumping out to an early first-half lead, Lillard and the Trail Blazers closed the gap late in the first half. During their push, Lillard poked a ball free from Westbrook which led to the two getting a little testy with 2:43 left to go in the half.
Fight Breaks Out Between Lillard and Westbrook in NBA Playoff Showdown
Lillard vs. Westbrook 👀 t.co/QYOPq3YXdo
Arguably the best part of the entire ordeal is the fact that, per usual, Steven Adams got right into the mix and immediately assumed his role as gentle giant/peacemaker. While the rest of the team sprints over, Adams calmly walks over to the scrum before gently removing Lillard and then simply cornering the four remaining Blazers and instructing them to walk away – to which they listen. Just another example of grown men in the NBA wanting absolutely NOTHING to do with the New Zealand monster.
Lillard and McCullom Show Out in First Half
After a relatively quiet night in game one from Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, game two saw the dangerous backcourt duo come out of the gates firing with solid first halves from both. With a 6 for 11 showing from Lillard and 5 of 11 performance from McCollum, the Blazers were able to lean heavily on their two stars to help keep themselves competitive in a half where they were mostly outplayed by the Thunder. Both Lillard and McCollum poured in 16 points each heading into the half, making up over half of the Blazers’ offensive production.
Particularly down the stretch in the first half, Lillard and McCollum came to life and helped close the gap to tie the game up at 54 heading into the second half. Despite the strong play from Lillard and McCollum, the rest of the Blazers struggled, particularly with foul trouble. With nearly every other starter in some form of foul trouble early, the Blazers had to rely on offensive production from their duo of scorers even more than they typically do.
This is likely one of the last showings that the current iteration of the Blazers will have unless they can string together a deep playoff run. Long the team that dominates the regular season before crumbling in the playoffs, time is running out for Lillard and McCollum to prove to that they can, in fact, be a successful playoff team. Especially after a poor showing from both in a close game one win at home, both Lillard and McCollum needed the hot starts they had tonight.
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WATCH: Lillard and Westbrook Start Near Brawl In Thunder vs Blazers Showdown