Kevin Durant Says 'Damian Lillard Is a Hall of Famer' Before Warriors vs Blazers
In between a home-and-home series with the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant paid Blazers guard Damian Lillard the ultimate compliment.
According to ESPN's Nick Friedell, Durant said, "Damian Lillard is a Hall of Famer," after Thursday's 110-109 loss to Portland.
Lillard had a modest game Thursday by his standards, as he scored 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting to go along with five assists, one rebound and one steal in the win.
He did come through in the clutch, though, by hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining in overtime.
In a losing effort, Durant posted a triple-double with 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
The 28-year-old Lillard is in the midst of another productive season with averages of 26.7 points, 5.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game.
He has been named an All-Star three times during his seven-year NBA career and appears well on his way to his second consecutive All-Star nod this season.
While the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year has put up great numbers during his career, playoff success has largely eluded him.
Lillard has taken Portland to the playoffs five times, but he has won just two playoff series and has yet to make it past the second round.
Based on the fact that the Western Conference is tightly packed this season and both C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic are playing well alongside Lillard, this season may represent his best chance to make a deep run.
Portland is tied for fifth in the Western Conference at 20-15 after Thursday's win, but it is just 2.5 games behind the Warriors and Denver Nuggets, who are tied for first in the conference.
Durant and the Warriors will get another crack at Lillard and the Blazers on Saturday when they clash at the Moda Center in Portland.
