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Damian Lillard admitted he accidentally walked towards the Trail Blazers’ locker room as he returned to Portland with the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time on Wednesday night.
Lillard was greeted with a lengthy standing ovation by the Portland crowd when he was introduced for his first game in the city since the offseason trade that sent him to the Bucks.
He spent 11 seasons with the Blazers and still has a home in Portland.
The sellout crowd at the Moda Center greeted Lillard with cheers. He responded by applauding the fans and held up his hands in a heart shape before his Bucks teammates danced around him.
But the celebration was muted at the end of the night by the Blazers’ 119-116 surprise victory over the Bucks.
Damian Lillard was greeted with a lengthy standing ovation by the Portland crowd on his return
Tthe celebration was muted at the end of the night by the Blazers’ 119-116 surprise victory
Damian Lillard receives an ovation from Rip City in his return to Portland ❤️👏 Trail Blazers-Bucks | LIVE on ESPN pic.twitter.com/HFjFhcRcS9
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2024
Anfernee Simons scored 24 points, including making a floater with 17.1 seconds left, and Deandre Ayton added 20 points and 11 rebounds for Portland.
Lillard had 25 points for the Bucks in their second straight loss under new coach Doc Rivers. Giannis Antetokounmpo added 27 points and eight rebounds.
With Milwaukee, Lillard came in averaging 25.1 points and 6.8 ᴀssists.
Last week, Milwaukee fired coach Adrian Griffin after only 43 games and hired veteran Rivers to take over with the goal of another NBA тιтle in mind.
Lillard said it has been great being part of a team that has ‘tasted winning and wants to get back to that.’
‘Playing with Giannis it’s been great. I think playing with another top 75 players, two-time MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, championship Finals MVP, I’m just able to feel what a luxury it is to have a guy as dominant as he is on floor,’ Lillard said.
Lillard would not rule out a possible return to the Blazers someday with a home still in Portland
He would not rule out a possible return to the Blazers someday.
‘I think because of how I feel about Portland, how I feel about the organization here, my time that I spent here, in my mind I’ve always felt that’s how my career would end,’ he said.
‘Right now I’m just in the space of like, this is where I am now. I’m in Milwaukee. I want an opportunity to contend, and our team has an opportunity to contend this years and years to come.’
An eight-time All-Star, Lillard averaged 32.2 points with the Blazers last season.
He became just the seventh player in NBA history to score more than 70 points in a game – that number has since increased to nine – when he finished with 71 against the Houston Rockets last February.
He averaged 25.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.7 ᴀssists during his time with the Blazers.
But Portland won only four playoff series in Lillard’s tenure, getting to the Western Conference Finals just once. The team went 33-49 last season, the second consecutive year it finished well outside the playoff picture.
