Lillard to miss Blazers' 6-game road trip with injury
The Portland Trail Blazers will be without franchise star Damian Lillard for the entirety of their upcoming six-game road trip, coach Chauncey Billups said Sunday, per Bleacher Report's Sean Highkin.
Lillard has already missed the past three games due to a lower abdominal injury and was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Sacramento Kings and Monday's contest versus the visiting Brooklyn Nets.
Seemingly hampered by injury from the start of the season, the 31-year-old is averaging 24 points per game - his lowest scoring output since 2014-15 - on a career-worst 48.6% effective field goal rate.
Entering Sunday's tilt at 14-24 (.368), Portland is at serious risk of seeing its league-best active playoff streak end at eight seasons unless it can course-correct without the perennial All-Star leading the charge.
Trail Blazers' upcoming schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 9 | vs. Kings | 9 p.m. |
| Jan. 10 | vs. Nets | 10 p.m. |
| Jan. 13 | at Nuggets | 10 p.m. |
| Jan. 15 | at Wizards | 7 p.m. |
| Jan. 17 | at Magic | 7 p.m. |
| Jan. 19 | at Heat | 7:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 21 | at Celtics | 7:30 p.m. |
| Jan. 23 | at Raptors | 6 p.m. |
| Jan. 25 | vs. Timberwolves | 10 p.m. |
Portland's first home game after the upcoming road trip is Jan. 25 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves.