DAME TIME - All Star Starter in our Book!

For years Steph Curry has been the best point guard in the league and single handedly changed the game with his three point barrages in front of a raucous Bay Area crowds. His record breaking number of attempts over the years have not even been the crazy part, it’s been his efficiency. Again this year he leads the league in three point attempts yet he’s shooting over 42%. There is a reason he is considered the best point guard in the league, but it is time to start including someone else in the conversation.  

 

Damian Lillard was snubbed from the All-Star starters after leading the Blazers to fifth in the West almost single handedly. Steph getting a starting spot is understandable but we could make the case for Dame starting over Luka Doncic. Luka is shooting 33% from three point range and turning it over at a higher clip than both Steph and Dame. Doncic may have better overall raw numbers than both Curry and Lillard but his +/- differential is lower than both and the Mavs are just .500.

 

Missing CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers have relied heavily on Lillard to carry the offensive load, and he has delivered. They own a better record than both the Warriors and Mavericks, yet Dame still seems to be underrated. Steph and Dame are in very similar situations this season and are producing very similar numbers. They are both averaging just under 30 ppg but Lillard is dishing out almost 2 more assists per game and pulls down 4.4 rebounds per game to Steph’s 5.4 rpg. He also has more game winning buzzer beaters (3) since he entered the league in 2012 according to basketball reference. Big shots at the end of games are hard to track based on the situations but there are very few players as cold blooded as Dame when it comes to winning time.

 

Steph has three rings in his great career but zero finals MVP’s. This year will be a true test to see how far Curry can carry the Warriors. If he falls short, maybe he will then know what Dame has felt like his entire career. Either way, the two best point guards in the league both deserve to be mentioned in the same conversation moving forward.

 

If you are looking for a betting angle with Lillard and the Blazers look no further than their road games. Portland is 12-6 ATS (67%) away from home and 8-4 ATS (67%) as a road dog as of this writing. Led by Dame Time, the Blazers have the 6th best overall 3-point shooting percentage in the league which has also helped the Over cash in 10 of eighteen road games.  Their road games have averaged 230 total points this season.