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Before the Portland Trail Blazers wrapped up their season against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, star point guard Damian Lillard had a message for the home crowd at the Moda Center:
Lillard was referring to the team’s abysmal performance this year, as Portland has a 27-54 record entering Sunday’s contest. It will be the Blazers’ worst record since drafting Lillard in 2012, and it will end a run of eight consecutive playoff appearances.
Portland’s season was mired by injuries and a roster teardown. Lillard hasn’t played since the end of December after he suffered an abdominal injury that required surgery. Anfernee Simons (knee), Jusuf Nurkic (foot) and Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) were all shut down for the remainder of the season at the end of March. The Blazers shipped away key players CJ McCollum, Norman Powell and Robert Covington at this year’s trade deadline.
With a fully healthy Lillard and the player they take with their 2022 lottery pick, the Blazers should be back in the postseason conversation next year.
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