Chris Paul‘s uncontested layup with 12.8 seconds remaining in Houston’s 121-112 Wednesday night road victory against the Portland Trail Blazers got under Damian Lillard‘s skin.
Lillard took offense to Paul’s bucket since the Rockets held a seven-point lead with the ball, and the outcome no longer in doubt.
CP3 finished with a season-high 37 points, to go along with 11 assists and 7 rebounds.
Per The Oregonian:
“I just asked him, I said, ‘What did you get out of that?'” Lillard said. “He said, ‘Y’all wasn’t guarding.’ But we got back. There was two guys back. We got back. He was sprinting the court to get the layup and CJ (McCollum) was chasing him. I just felt like in that situation, if you’ve got to do that to go get the layup, what’s the point of it?”
Lillard made it clear his heated reaction was not a case of sour grapes, noting that the Blazers “lost the game fair and square. It wasn’t a play that impacted us winning or losing, so I wasn’t salty about that.” But he was annoyed that an accomplished and experienced player in his 13th NBA season would show such disprespect.
“I think as far as sportsmanship goes and respect, if the roles were reversed, I don’t think they would like it,” Lillard said. “They had two guys up the floor. I think (Shabazz Napier) ran back, I ran back for that reason … we get two guys back and he pretty much sprinted down the court to get the layup. CJ was chasing him. At that point, you just wonder, like, what is that going to do for you? What was you trying to get right there? And that’s what I asked him.”
