Damian Lillard takes control of this series early on

In three games against Denver this year, Damian Lillard averaged 23.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists and shot 36.7% from three-point range. Since the start of May though, Lillard is averaging 31.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists and is shooting 48.2% from three-point range! 

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Dame has started to elevate his game with the playoffs approaching and given that Denver is giving up the most points to point guards this season out of any other position, Lillard is primed to have a great series, especially early on. 

The first two games of this series will take place in Denver and out of the three games played this season against the Nuggets, Lillard’s best game against them came in Denver in February when he dropped 25 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists in a 111-106 loss. 

Win or lose, Damian Lillard is going to be the focal point of the Portland Trail Blazers throughout this series and we could see some pretty special performances from him early on in this series. Getting the first win in a series like this is going to be extremely important for both of these teams, which is why Damian Lillard is primed to have some big games against Denver.