SWISH | Retired.

DECEMBER 2017 IN REVIEW


C.J. McCollum was terrific in December

A 14-1 December puts the Trail Blazers on a 70-win pace heading into the new year. In a month highlighted by a statement win over the Denver Nuggets, Portland has been nearly unstoppable, with only the pesky Kings handing them an L. Western Conference Player of the Month and MVP front-runner Damian Lillard has led the way with his efficient scoring and playmaking for the league's #1 offense. C.J. McCollum has broken out of his shooting slump in a big way, and looks to be a lock for his first ever all-star berth.

It's unlikely that the Blazers become the third team to reach the lofty 70 win mark. However, they are clearly the best team in basketball right now, and if everyone stays healthy, the road to the championship runs through Rip City.



HEADLINES

LeBron Breaks Ankle, Out 6-8 Weeks
Cavs are 22-10, but with his first major injury, is this the start of LeDecline?

An Even Harder Path? KD, Clips Continue To Struggle
Lack of depth a major issue as Blake, DeAndre have both missed time

MVP Race: 1. D Lillard, 2. L James 3. K Leonard 4. A Drummond 5. J Harden
Injury will all but eliminate King James from consideration

Power Rankings: 1 Portland 2 Denver 3. Cleveland 4. Boston 5. Houston
Boston's starting five: Isaiah Thomas, Jaylen Brown, Solomon Hill, Kelly Olynyk, Al Horford

Ben Simmons Out For Season With Dislocated Left Patella
Ouch! #trusttheprocess

STANDINGS

Western Conference (PotM: Damian Lillard [POR] | RotM: Lonzo Ball [DAL])

1 Portland 27-4
2 San Antonio 20-11
3 Phoenix 18-12
4 Denver 21-8
5 Houston 21-12
6 Memphis 17-14
7 LA Clippers 18-15
8 Golden State 14-16
LA Lakers 15-18
Sacramento 15-18
Minnesota 14-18
Utah 11-18
Dallas 12-21
Oklahoma City 10-20
Kansas City 9-24
Seattle 8-23

Eastern Conference (PotM: LeBron James [CLE] | RotM: Markelle Fultz [MIL])

1 Cleveland 22-10
2 Boston 21-11
3 Charlotte 17-13
4 Detroit 21-13
5 Toronto 18-13
6 Chicago 18-15
7 Milwaukee 18-15
8 Philadelphia 16-14
New York 15-16
Indiana 15-16
New Orleans 14-15
Brooklyn 15-18
Orlando 13-17
Miami 11-17
Atlanta 8-21
Washington 8-24

Player Evaluations (min. 250 minutes)



Damian Lillard: 26.7 PPG, 8.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 SPG | 25.3 PER, .644% TS
The MVP favorite, Damian Lillard leads all qualifying players in scoring (Curry missed some games), and is third in assists. More importantly, he is the best player on the league's best team - a leader on and off the court. Lillard dropped 51 points on the Kansas City Knights, then led his team to a 51 point win over the same team a few days later.

C.J. McCollum: 22.3 PPG, 5.9 APG, 3.2 RPG | 20.0 PER, .583% TS
After a shaky start to the season, 3J has been lights out in December, topping 40 points not once, but twice. Terry Stotts staggers the minutes of Lillard and McCollum, giving the Blazers at least one potent scorer on the floor at all times.

Al-Farouq Aminu: 8.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG | 8.7 PER, .480% TS
Aminu's jump shot has disappeared, but he maintains his starting role thanks to his versatility and elite defense. The prototypical "glue guy", Portland will hope to keep him around for a while.

Harry Giles: 13.5 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG | 17.5 PER, .518% TS
Portland is much improved on defense, and Giles is a huge reason why. Complementing Gobert in the front court, Giles has had some sick blocks, and has been instrumental in rim protection. He's also become a reliable third scoring option, though shot selection needs some work. Great rookie year so far. Future all-star?

Rudy Gobert: 8.9 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG | 17.6 PER, .545% TS
Portland went from bottom 5 to top 10 in defensive efficiency this year, and Gobert is the main reason why. He doesn't steal the headlines, averaging just under nine points per game. However, the Stifle Tower has been a game-changer on D.

Evan Turner: 10.5 PPG, 4.7 APG, 4.0 RPG | 14.8 PER, .524% TS
ET does a little bit of everything off the bench (except make threes). He's kind of like Iguodala was on the Warriors, except it’s hard to imagine Turner winning Finals MVP…

Zach Randolph: 9.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 15 GP | 16.4 PER, .520% TS
Z-Bo was starting to play pretty well off the bench, before the calf injury sidelined him. He's expected to return very soon, and will hope to give Portland a boost in the paint.

Jonathan Simmons: 5.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG | 11.1 PER, .584% TS
Simmons doesn't get a ton of playing time, but he's been a great 3-and-D guy off the bench. Some think he should start over Aminu, but when you're 27-4, you really aren't in the lineup change business.

JaVale McGee: 3.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG | 12.4 PER, .459% TS
Shaq may not approve, but Epic Vale has been solid, replacing Festus Ezeli as the back-up Center. He doesn't do much on offense, but his length and athleticism makes him a force on the boards, and on defense.

Noah Vonleh: 3.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG | 9.4 PER, .494% TS
Noah's demand of $11 million per year or bust may seem silly until you realize that's what Meyers Leonard got… With Randolph returning to the fold, its unlikely Vonleh will command that kind of money. But even when given the opportunities, Noah has been relatively ineffective. After four years, maybe he's not the next Bosh…

2018 MOCK DRAFT

*The 2018 draft class consists of 90% real prospects, 10% fictional. This is to prevent any 2017 draftees from appearing in the 2018 class. Some of the prospects (such as the projected #1 pick) are ones I just made up, while others are homages to past association/dynasty story legends!

1. Washington - SG Ryan Kent (Kansas)
2. Seattle - SG Luka Doncic (Slovenia)
3. Kansas City - SF Michael Porter Jr. (Washington)
4. Brooklyn - C DeAndre Ayton (Arizona)
5. Utah - PF Wendell Carter (Duke)
6. Dallas - PG Trevon Duval (Duke)
7. Utah - SG Reshawn Tyson (North Carolina)
8. Phoenix - PF Mohamed Bamba (Kentucky)
9. Orlando - SG Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky)
10. Denver - PG Collin Sexton (Alabama)
11. Boston - SF Kevin Knox (Duke)
12. LA Lakers - SG Lonnie Walker (Miami)
13. Sacramento - SG E.C. Matthews (Rhode Island)
14. New Orleans - PG De'Anthony Melton (USC)
15. Indiana - PG Rodney Gaines (Oregon State)
16. New York - PG Tayfur Mansiz (Washington)

Gallery

Phil89, I always seem to build championship contenders by fleecing the competition. I honestly feel more guilty about getting Harry Giles for Meyers Leonard.

I wouldn't feel too bad about it. NBA trades rarely leave both teams looking like geniuses, and you can't control what 2k trade logic agrees to.

Besides, there is still time for Allen Crabbe to become a multiple all-star in Utah


Damn, Ben Simmons can't catch a break (figuratively, at least)

And OKC are predictably terrible without Russ. At least Presti will get a chance to use a decent draft pick next season.

7. Utah - SG Reshawn Tyson (North Carolina)

lol I recreate him too in my association. Good job on the continuous update on this story.

Game Results

Portland continues to roll, having won 11 straight games going into their match against the Timberwolves. These wins include blowing out the resurgent Celtics on their floor, exorcising their demons with a win over the Kings, and continuing to assert their dominance over the Sonics. The talks of Portland challenging Golden State's 73 win mark are getting louder, and for good reason as the Blazers are on pace to match it. That should continue as they're at home against a mediocre Wolves team... right?

W @ BOS 121-106 - RECORD: 28-4
W vs. SAC 116-108 - RECORD 29-4
W vs. SEA 97-84 - RECORD 30-4
W @ IND 117-109 - RECORD: 31-4
W vs. somebody... don't remember who - RECORD: 32-4

Wolves Stun Blazers Behind Kris Dunn's Career Night
Minnesota 119, Portland 116

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a team with a lot of promise these past few years, but have yet to really get over that hump. This season has been no exception. They are a .500 team, and while Karl-Anthony Towns is a legit star, Andrew Wiggins has not improved since his rookie season, and nobody else has stepped up.

However, on this night, Kris Dunn looked like that second star the Wolves need. Scoring a career high 42 points, including a four-point play in the final minute, Dunn led the Wolves past a Blazers team on pace to eclipse the 70 win mark… in their building.

Battling a twisted ankle, C.J. McCollum carried the slack for Portland as Damian Lillard struggled with his shot. McCollum scored 29 points, including a pair of three pointers late to keep Portland in it. However, turnovers and a lackadaisical defensive effort did them in on this night. A high scoring, back-and-forth affair such as this usually goes the Blazers' way, but it was simply Kris Dunn's night.

Portland falls to 32-5, which is still by far the league's best record, while the Wolves get back to .500, now sitting at 19-19.

Kris Dunn: 42 points, 7 assists, 13-23 FG, 12-17 FT
Andrew Wiggins: 25 points
Karl-Anthony Towns: 19 points, 5 rebounds

C.J. McCollum: 29 points, 7 assists, 10-17 FG, 5-7 3pt
Rudy Gobert: 16 points, 12 rebounds, 6-9 shooting

RECORD: 32-5

Unlucky to cop a game like that from Dunn.

At least it looks like Gobert contained KAT pretty well. That's a positive sign for any future playoff meeting.

Man, I literally cursed out loud when Lillard fouled Dunn on that made 3. It was embarrassing. It's always these mediocre teams that I struggle with. Maybe its because I feel more pressure to win. Not sure what it is, but I know I'm relieved to see Sacramento is slipping in the standings.

I feel that. I'm always glad that I'm not one of those people who film themselves playing video games. It'd be so embarrassing to watch.

Every time I play (and lose badly to) the Warriors I'm always cursing and dropping my controller

Game Results

Portland bounced back from their loss to Minnesota by opening up a four-game winning streak. After blowing out Anthony Davis and the disappointing Pelicans, they beat Memphis in OT, obliterated the Wall-less Wizards and easily defeated Lonzo Ball and the Mavericks. The wins put them at a 72 win pace at the midway point. Not too shabby.

W Vs. NO 117-76 - RECORD: 33-5
W @ MEM 123-117 - RECORD: 34-5
W Vs. WAS 103-82 - RECORD: 35-5
W vs. DAL 93-82 - RECORD: 36-5

HEADLINES

Blazers on pace for 72 wins, midway through the season
They would tie the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for second best regular season record in league history.

Zach Randolph reportedly frustrated with role
Veteran power forward Zach Randolph is on the league's best team, averaging 10 and 6 in 20 minutes per game off the bench. Unfortunately, playing behind rookie Harry Giles does not sit well with him, and he wants to start. Will this be a problem, or does winning make everything okay?

Wizards trade Tyreke Evans, Richaun Holmes to Thunder for Enes Kanter, Ronnie Price
OKC gets a stand-in for the injured Westbrook as well as an OK backup big. The tanking Wizards add Kanter, who, despite his deficiencies, is a good, relatively young big.

Knights trade Rudy Gay, Boris Diaw to Magic for Nikola Vucevic, Luis Montero
After an abysmal start to the season, the Knights are abandoning the Rudy Gay experiment. Knights get a pretty good Center, while the Magic get an athletic scorer. Can they make the playoffs with Biyombo starting at the 5? We'll see.

Jazz trade Rajon Rondo to Pacers for Al Jefferson
Why did the Jazz sign Rondo in the first place? Was Exum's shooting not bad enough? Anyway, Indy is one of the few places where Rondo is actually an upgrade at PG, while Jefferson returns to Utah with his role being that he's an expiring contract. Win-win.

W Vs. TOR 122-105 - RECORD: 37-5
W @ LAL 130-126 - RECORD: 38-5
Lillard: 53 points (season high), 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 17-25 FG, 5-8 3pt, 14-16 FT

BLAZERS @ CLIPPERS
KD vs. Lillard - Clippers ride 11 game win streak into game vs. Portland

W @ LAC 113-93 - RECORD: 39-5
KD held to 6 points as Blazers dominate marquee match-up. Lillard leads the way with 38 points, 10 assists, 5 steals and 5 boards on 14-22 shooting. The Clippers' 11 game win streak is over Portland has now won 7 in a row.

L @ UTA 119-112 - RECORD: 39-6
Damian Lillard's 39 points were not enough, as the Blazers could not beat the Jazz in the second game of a back-to-back. Former Jazz player Rudy Gobert had 8 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

2k will probably try and throw in a few unexpected losses, but I think you'll get the 72 wins playing like this.

Of course it had to be Utah that ended the current winning streak

JANUARY 2018 RECAP



Portland had another fantastic month, going 12-2 and strengthening their hold on the #1 seed. Damian Lillard has continued to be sensational, while McCollum has continued his case for an all-star berth. Playing elite defense while remaining the league's top offensive team has made the Blazers nearly impossible to beat. The team is firing on all cylinders, and should be the odds-on favorite to win the title, or at least the Western Conference, should they stay healthy.

Perhaps the biggest win of the year so far was a blowout victory in Los Angeles over Kevin Durant and the streaking Clippers. The Blazers open February against them again, but this time in Rip City.

Standings

Western Conference (PotM: Stephen Curry | RotM: Ivan Rabb)

1 Portland 39-6
2 Houston 32-14
3 LA Clippers 32-17
4 Denver 29-13
5 San Antonio 27-19
6 Golden State 25-22
7 Phoenix 23-21
8 Minnesota 23-22
Memphis 22-25
Sacramento 22-26
LA Lakers 20-26
Utah 19-26
Oklahoma City 15-29
Dallas 15-30
Seattle 14-31
Kansas City 14-34

Eastern Conference (PotM: Kyrie Irving | Josh Jackson)

1 Cleveland 30-16
2 Boston 29-17
3 Charlotte 25-21
4 Chicago 28-19
5 Detroit 28-19
6 Toronto 24-22
7 Milwaukee 24-22
8 New York 24-23
New Orleans 23-22
Indiana 23-23
Philadelphia 23-25
Brooklyn 22-25
Miami 19-24
Orlando 20-26
Atlanta 12-32
Washington 10-38

RotY Candidate Harry Giles Jumps Over MVP Favorite Damian Lillard

Award Races

At the midway point of the season, let's take a look at the NBA award races. Right now, it looks like the MVP will go to Damian Lillard, with Portland's historically good season and an injury to LeBron James. Far more interesting is the rookie of the year race, in which several players are putting up borderline all-star stats.

R2MVP: 1. Damian Lillard 2. James Harden 3. Chris Paul 4. Stephen Curry 5. Kyrie Irving
Averaging an efficient 27 points and 8 assists for a team on pace for roughly 70 wins, this award is Lillard's to lose

Rookie Ladder: 1. Dennis Smith (CHA) 2. Markelle Fultz (MIL) 3. Josh Jackson (MIA) 4 De'Aaron Fox (PHI) 5. Harry Giles (POR)
This rookie class is amazing, with three players averaging at least 20 PPG. It looks like a three man race between Fultz, Smith and Jackson.

Sixth Man Race: 1. Dario Saric 2. Marcus Smart 3. Ricky Rubio 4. Kyle Anderson 5. Jakob Poeltl
The Sixers' decision to start both Okafor and Embiid may not be helping them win games, but it looks like it will win The Homie the sixth man award, given his averages of just under 14 and 9.

DPotY Watch: 1. Andre Drummond 2. Anthony Davis 3. Draymond Green 4 De'Andre Jordan 5. Rudy Gobert
Andre Drummond is averaging 17.3 rebounds.

Most Improved So Far: 1. D'Angelo Russell 2. Cameron Payne 3. Kris Dunn 4. Mason Plumlee 5. Denzel Valentine
In the eyes of many, D-Lo was robbed of this award last year. Well, he won't be robbed this year (probably), as he has taken his game to yet another level.

----------

Curry, LeBron Headline All-Star Starters



Western Conference:

Stephen Curry (GS)
Chris Paul (LAC)
Kevin Durant (LAC)
Kawhi Leonard (SA)
Draymond Green (GS)

Eastern Conference:

Kyrie Irving (CLE)
Jimmy Butler (CHI)
LeBron James (CLE)
Anthony Davis (NO)
Andre Drummond (DET)

Gallery

Things are still on track nicely for you guys.

All-star voters must be drunk though. You must have at least a couple of guys amongst the reserves?

Game Results

Four more wins for the Blazers, including a blowout victory in Denver, and the second win in as many weeks over KD and the Clippers. Unfortunately, Rudy Gobert suffered a broken nose against the Pacers. However, he's not soft so he's gonna play through it.

W Vs. IND 102-93 - RECORD: 40-6
W @ DEN 108-73 - RECORD: 41-6
W @ SA 104-98 - RECORD: 42-6
W Vs. LAC 94-87 - RECORD: 43-6

2018 All-Star Reserves Revealed



The reserves for the 2018 all-stars have been revealed, with a couple surprises. Making their first all-star appearances are Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell, who is averaging 25 points per game, as well as Hornets rookie Dennis Smith. Smith is the first rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011 to make the team. Damian Lillard, James Harden and Paul George unsurprisingly make the team, but there were a couple controversial snubs.

C.J. McCollum is having a great season for the Blazers, yet he was snubbed despite Portland being off to a historically good start to the season. Furthermore, Karl-Anthony Towns, Isaiah Thomas and DeMar DeRozan were also surprisingly left off. Meanwhile, Blake Griffin is one of three Clippers to make the game, despite a slightly disappointing record and pedestrian averages of 17 points and 8 rebounds per game. The all-star reserves are as follows:

Western Conference

Damian Lillard (POR)
James Harden (HOU)
Gordon Hayward (UTA)
Blake Griffin (LAC)
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC)
D'Angelo Russell (LAL)*
Marc Gasol (MEM)

Snubs: C.J. McCollum (POR), Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN), Nikola Jokic (DEN), Klay Thompson (GS), Eric Bledsoe (PHX)

Eastern Conference:

Kemba Walker (CHA)
Dennis Smith (CHA)*
Carmelo Anthony (NY)
Kevin Love (CLE)
Brook Lopez (BKN)
Paul George (IND)
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL)

Snubs: Isaiah Thomas (BOS), Reggie Jackson (DET), DeMar DeRozan (TOR), Markelle Fultz (MIL), Goran Dragic (MIA)

Unlucky that McCollum missed out. 2k all-star selection logic is right up there with it's trade logic sometimes

I guess you'll just have to go out there and get the MVP for Lillard to make up for the snub.

Not an all-star huh? C.J. McCollum scored a franchise record 55 points in a win over the Utah Jazz. Portland suffered a rare loss a couple days later in the crescent city before getting back on track with a pair of wins.

W Vs. UTA 126-113 - RECORD: 44-6
L @ NO 109-91 - RECORD: 44-7
W Vs. NY 108-92 - RECORD: 45-7
W @ HOU 108-89 - RECORD: 46-7

BREAKING: ERIC BLEDSOE TO REPLACE CHRIS PAUL IN ALL-STAR GAME



Suns point guard Eric Bledsoe will be making his first ever all-star appearance, with Chris Paul withdrawing from the game due to an ankle injury. Bledsoe is averaging 19 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds per game for the Suns, who currently sit in eighth place in the West.

This selection by Adam Silver is controversial, with many claiming it should have been Wolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns or Blazers guard C.J. McCollum earning the spot.

ALL STAR WEEKEND PARTICIPANTS

Dunk Contest

Marquese Chriss (PHX)
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (BRK)
Emmanuel Mudiay (DEN)
Miles Bridges (BRK)

Three-Point Contest

Stephen Curry (GS)
Damian Lillard (POR)
Kyrie Irving (CLE)
Kemba Walker (CHA)
James Harden (HOU)
Klay Thompson (GS)

Rookie Challenge

Stars

Kris Dunn (MIN)
Buddy Hield (NO)
Brandon Ingram (LAL)
Josh Jackson (MIA)
Harry Giles (POR)
Markelle Fultz (MIL)
Frank Jackson (ATL)
Jayson Tatum (BOS)
Ivan Rabb (SEA)
Marques Bolden (MIN)

Elites

De'Aaron Fox (PHI)
Dennis Smith (NO)
Wenyen Gabriel (MIA)
Dario Saric (PHI)
Joel Embiid (PHI)
Tomas Satoransky (SEA)
Wade Baldwin (MEM)
Denzel Valentine (CHI)
Devonta Davis (MEM)
Jakob Poeltl (TOR)

Happy for Bledsoe, but that's just not right snubbing McCollum. What did he do to Adam Silver?

Blazers Rally Back From Down 24, But Fall Short In San Antonio
San Antonio 104, Portland 98

Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers were shitting the bed on national TV - trailing 40-16 in the second quarter. A third quarter rally, and foul trouble helped them get back in the game, but they could not overcome Lillard's dismal 9-27 shooting night, or C.J. McCollum's 9 turnovers as they fell short down the stretch.

Despite two first quarter fouls for Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs were dominant from the start. LaMarcus Aldridge was beasting on his former team, hitting jump shots and getting to the line at will. Portland's offense was out of whack in the early going, with Lillard missing shots he normally makes and the big men missing layups. The deficit got as large as 24 points, before a pair of McCollum threes sparked a small run to cut the deficit to 14 at half.

That momentum continued for Portland in the third, as they continued to trim the Spurs' lead. With five minutes left in the fourth, the Spurs led by just a point, 90-89. However, consecutive three point plays by the Spurs and missed shots by Lillard saw the Spurs go back up by 7, and the Blazers were unable to pull off the comeback.

The Spurs improve to 32-23, winning their fourth straight game and pulling within three games of the division leading Rockets. Portland meanwhile falls to 46-8, still a great record, but putting that 70 win mark in jeopardy.

LaMarcus Aldridge: 26 points, 8 rebounds
Pau Gasol: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 7-10 FG
Kawhi Leonard: 13 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 6 fouls

Damian Lillard: 28 points, 6 assists, 5 steals, 5 rebounds, 9-27 FG, 2-11 3pt
C.J. McCollum: 22 points, 7 assists, 4 steals, 9 turnovers

RECORD: 46-8

A home-and-home with Phoenix gives Portland a pair of wins going into the all-star break. McCollum got his revenge on Bledsoe for getting that all-star spot by scoring 35 in a 51 point drubbing...

W @ PHX 104-91 - RECORD: 47-8
W Vs. PHX 127-76 - RECORD: 48-8

Headlines



LeBron is BACK!
After missing nearly two months, the King is back, returning to a first place Cavs team

Knights trade Mahinmi to Bulls for Robin Lopez
Lopez is an upgrade at backup center, but awfully expensive

Mavericks trade Iguodala, 2nd rounder to Pelicans for E'Twaun Moore
The Mavs are terrible, and did right by Iggy sending him to a likely playoff team

Hassan Whiteside out 4-6 weeks with broken arm
RIP to the Heat's already slim playoff hopes

Jokic out for season with broken kneecap
Terrible news for the Nuggets, who are enjoying their best season in years

Losing a game after fighting all the way back from so far down is almost worse than getting blown-out. Unlucky.

72 wins is still happening though

Lillard got snubbed as a starter (like Westbrook did IRL....) and McCollum should def have made the reserves (dude got snubbed twice! yikes!)

2018 NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND



Elites Beat Stars On De'Aaron Fox's Buzzer Beater Heave
Elites 117, Stars 116

In what was the wildest Rising Stars game to date, Philadelphia's De'Aaron Fox won the game for the Elites with a three-quarters court heave.

It was a back-and-forth affair all night. In the first half, both teams were playing defense, but the second half became a shootout. Trail Blazers big man Harry Giles had a big night, leading all scorers with 21 points, and also blocking six shots. However, it was the wild last forty seconds of the game that has everyone buzzing.

With the game tied at 111, Brandon Ingram drilled a go-ahead three pointer to give the Stars the lead. Not to be outdone, Hornets all-star rookie Dennis Smith answered with a three of his own. Kris Dunn let the clock wind down before running the pick-and-roll with Giles to perfection, leading to an epic dunk over Dario Saric.

With three seconds remaining, the Stars had no choice but to put up a Hail Mary heave to try to win the game. And the rest is history.

Dario Saric won MVP of the game with 20 points, 9 rebounds (6 offensive) and 5 steals, but Fox won the headlines.

Dario Saric: 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals
De'Aaron Fox: 13 points, 4 assists, game-winning 3pt FG
Dennis Smith: 16 points, 6 assists

Harry Giles: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 blocks
Brandon Ingram: 18 points, 5 rebounds



Damian Lillard Defeats Splash Bros To Win Three-Point Shootout

Damian Lillard admitted to being nervous after watching Klay Thompson go 5-for-5 on his money ball rack to score a record (?) 29 points in the opening round of the three-point shootout. However, after a 25 point outing that was nothing to scoff at, and redemption for his abysmal performance a year ago, he was ready to bring it home in the final round.

Lillard only scored 21 to open the final round, and the two guys who won this contest the last three years were up after him. However, Curry faltered on his money ball rack to score just 19, while Thompson went ice cold after a strong start to finish with just 17.

And so Damian Lillard, 2013 rookie of the year, four time all-star, the favorite for MVP this season, can add "Three Point Shootout Champion" to his impressive resume.

RESULTS

Damian Lillard ---- | 25 | 21
Stephen Curry ---- | 27 | 19
Klay Thompson --- | 29 | 17
James Harden ---- | 18
Kyrie Irving -------- | 17
Kemba Walker ---- | 15



Chriss Repeats As Dunk Contest Champion

In a low-key dunk contest, suns big man Marquese Chriss has repeated as dunk contest champion. His best dunk saw him lob it to himself and throw down a 360 statue of liberty jam.

Rookie Miles Bridges was consistently solid, while Hollis-Jefferson and Mudiay were underwhelming before performing well on their final dunks.

As is often the case, social media was critical of the dunk contest, with some calling for a format change and others the eradication of the event altogether. Nonetheless, it is a big win for Chriss, who averages just 3.7 points per game, but now has two dunk contest trophies.

Marquese Chriss ----------- | 39 + 45 + 45 | 129
Miles Bridges --------------- | 40 + 40 + 40 | 120
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson -- | 37 + 37 + 43 | 117
Emmanuel Mudiay -------- | 37 + 36 + 43 | 116

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Draymond Dominates As West Wins Fourth Straight All-Star Game
West 151, East 137

In an all-star game usually dominated by wings, Draymond Green dominated on both ends of the floor en route to a big win for the Western Conference. The Warriors big man stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, 9 boards, 7 assists and 6 steals, while also managing not to kick anybody!

This game was close in the first half, with Kyrie Irving on fire from downtown. However, Green was a pest, notching four of his six steals in the first half, which the West led 71-67 after. The third quarter saw the West pull away, with Curry, Lillard and Durant all having some success from beyond the arc. Brook Lopez did what he could to keep the East in it, but there was a sense of apathy on both sides.

There would be no dramatic ending like in the Rising Stars game. The West won this game comfortably by a score of 151-137. "We held them under 140 points. For an all-star game, that's pretty good", commented Terry Stotts after the game.

This is the West's fourth straight all-star game win. However, the East still leads the all-time series, 37-30.

2018 ALL-STAR MVP:
Draymond Green
25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, 3 blocks, 11-14 FG

Damian Lillard: 25 points, 6 assists, 3 steals
Stephen Curry: 23 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 6-10 3pt
DeMarcus Cousins: 14 points, 10 rebounds

Kyrie Irving: 29 points, 10-17 FG, 7-11 3pt
Anthony Davis: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks

Nice job winning the three point contest with Lillard.

Shame he missed out on the all-star MVP as well. Guess he'll have to settle for the main award

Oh damn, what an ending to the rising stars game! Were you the user for that? I'd be stoked if I hit one of those to win the game

Dunk Contest sparks no excitement as usual, good job winning the 3 point contest tho

I was playing on the other team trying to get Giles the MVP. Wasn't even mad when that happened though. That almost never happens

FEBRUARY 2018 IN REVIEW
Record: 48-8 (9-2) | ORTG: 110.2 (1st), DRTG: 99.6 (6th) NET: +10.6 (1st)



With a 9-2 February, Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers continue to steamroll the league. Despite the disappointing news that C.J. McCollum was somehow snubbed from the all-star team, Rip City was all smiles in February. Not only is the team on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, but they are also just a few wins from clinching home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The quest for 70 wins is still alive, but would require a 22-4 finish.

"The biggest priority is winning a championship. Obviously you want to win every game we play, but we won't be sacrificing player health to hit an arbitrary win total", commented Terry Stotts when asked about chasing 70 wins.

Stotts and Lillard are overwhelming favorites to win the coach of the year and most valuable player awards, respectively, and can lock them up with a successful March.

STANDINGS

Western Conference (PotM: Stephen Curry | RotM: Lonzo Ball)

1 Portland 48-8
2 LA Clippers 38-20
3 Houston 36-21
4 Denver 36-19
5 San Antonio 33-24
6 Golden State 33-25
7 Minnesota 30-27
8 Phoenix 29-28
LA Lakers 28-29
Memphis 27-30
Sacramento 25-33
Utah 23-33
Kansas City 22-37
Dallas 20-36
Oklahoma City 19-36
Seattle 19-37

Eastern Conference (PotM: LeBron James | RotM: Dennis Smith)

1 Cleveland 36-21
2 Boston 34-24
3 New Orleans 30-25
4 Chicago 33-25
5 Detroit 33-26
6 Milwaukee 31-26
7 Charlotte 30-26
8 Toronto 31-27
Indiana 30-28
New York 29-28
Philadelphia 28-31
Miami 25-30
Brooklyn 25-32
Orlando 25-32
Atlanta 14-42
Washington 12-46

HEADLINES

Trail Blazers Lead Power Rankings For 13th Straight Week
1 Portland 2 LA Clippers 3 Denver 4 Cleveland 5 Houston

Curry Wins Third Player of the Month Award As MVP Race Tightens
Lillard's got the wins, but Curry's got the numbers

Randle Signs 2 Year, $37M Extension With Lakers
23 year old big man is averaging 9.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game

Melo, Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Kanter Expected To Test Free Agency
Some teams are about to make it rain this summer

Projected #1 overall pick Ryan Kent Being Compared to Jordan
Kent is scoring 30 points per game for the #1 ranked Jayhawks

Gallery

Anther great month of basketball.

Looks like the 72 wins record chase is gonna come down to the wire. Getting nervous at all?

"The biggest priority is winning a championship.", commented Terry Stotts when asked about chasing 70 wins.

Bang on, 73-9 doesn't mean jack when you don't get the ring