Damian Lillard got in D’Angelo Russell’s face during the Trail Blazers’ win over the Lakers last night?
Why?
Lillard, via CSN Northwest:Since last game, he has been doing little slick elbows. And I play the game clean. I’m from Oakland. I ain’t with that extra stuff. Nobody can do just what they want to me.
I got called for a foul to start the third quarter for reaching in, but when I reached in, the only reason there was contact is because his elbow came up again. After he blocked my shot, I was walking to my spot and I felt like he went out of his way to get that elbow in there again.
I told him that ain’t going to fly. And I wasn’t interested in anything else that was said after that. We ain’t going to do that on the court, so we’ll be in the back, and whatever happens happens. But it was nothing. He poked the bear, and you see what happened the rest of the game.
There’s a fine line between aggressive and dirty. Perhaps, Russell crossed it. Or maybe Lillard was just frustrated that Portland, in the midst of a disappointing season, was in a tight game with the lowly Lakers.
Either way, exchange – which drew a double-technical – seemed to spark Lillard. From there, he scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting and the Trail Blazers outscored the Lakers by 20 to pull away.