It’s too bad Damian Lillard is out for Wednesday night’s matchup against the Warriors. The Portland Trail Blazers superstar is dealing with an abdomen issue that has sidelined him since Nov. 29.
The Oakland native always seems to put on a show whenever he’s back in the Bay, but was held to just 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting in a 118-103 Warriors win Nov. 26. In that game, Lillard was guarded at times by Gary Payton II.
Payton has deep Bay Area connections, as his grandparents raised his basketball Hall of Famer father in Oakland. Turns out GPII and Dame also have Town ties. Lillard hails from the Brookfield neighborhood in deep East Oakland, and has become something of a big brother figure for Payton.
“Dame – he’s like family,” Payton said earlier this week. “He’s helped me before I got in the league and he helped me during the league. Anything I need, a workout, knowledge of the game or questions, I know that I can call him or text him.”
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Lillard, 31, is just two years older than Payton, 29, bt he has been a bona fide star in the league for years while Payton has taken six seasons to carve out a regular role. Payton’s game is growing and he seems destined for a guaranteed contract by next month’s deadline, though.
According to Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo! Sports, Lillard could return Sunday. The Warriors and Blazers only play once more this season following Wednesday’s matchup, coming Feb. 24 in Portland.
