It’s Lillard to the rescue again for Trail Blazers

It is March so that must mean that All-Star guard Damian Lillard is putting on his cape to save Portland’s season.

The Trail Blazers were in danger of missing the playoffs the last two seasons before they closed with a 17-11 mark in 2015-16 and an 18-7 record in 2016-17.

On Feb. 14 this year, Portland was about to fall out of the Western Conference playoff picture if it lost the last game before the All-Star break to Golden State. Instead, Lillard scored 44 points to lead a Blazers win and spark a winning streak that vaulted them into contention for home-court advantage in the first round.

In the deep West, it seemed impossible for the Blazers to climb as many as five spots in the standings, but they did so with a mix of quality victories against winning teams and the necessary work against losing teams. The Blazers have taken care of sub.500 opponents regularly for a 22-5 mark, but Lillard’s next-level play and clutch fourth quarters gave the Blazers their longest winning streak since 2014. Portland is on a nine-game winning streak and has beaten Golden State twice during it.

Lillard averaged 35.4 points over a 10-game stretch, the highest scoring average over a 10-game span in franchise history.

Portland is bound to make the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season but another strong close with more elite defense could secure a high seed, especially if Blazers guard C.J. McCollum shakes off his shooting struggles.