Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (abdominal) will suit up for Monday's game against the Raptors, stemming his absence at one game. With Lillard back in the mix, Anfernee Simons will slide into his traditional second-unit role, which heavily dampens his DFS upside. Lillard's early-season struggles have been well-documented, with the six-time All-Star shooting 38 percent overall, including 26.8 percent from behind the arc across his first 13 games. Further complicating his matchup Monday is that the Raptors have allowed the fifth-fewest DFS points per contest to opposing PGs, per FanDuel scoring. Lillard is still an obvious must-start, having hit the 20-point plateau in six of his last seven games.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (abdominal) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Toronto Raptors. The superstar guard sat out the front end of the back-to-back set on Sunday. There is a chance he gets back on the floor here, but it wouldn't be shocking to see the Blazers be extremely cautious. That being said, Anfernee Simons would be in line for another start if Lillard is unable to play. He'd be an intriguing DFS option without Lillard on the court.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (abdominal) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets. This is not good news as this is the same injury that Lillard suffered during the Olympics. He has normally been fairly durable, but it's uncertain how much time he'll miss from this issue. Anfernee Simons is looking like a solid fantasy option for Sunday and possibly longer than that. Fantasy managers should check the waiver wire to see if Simons is still available.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard led the team with 28 points and registered seven rebounds with seven assists in Wednesday's road loss to Phoenix. He shot 12-for-23 from the field with a 1-for-4 effort from behind the arc and went 3-for-4 with his free throws. Dame didn't have any defensive stats and ended the night with two turnovers in 38 minutes. Lillard hit a brick wall last week with a four-point effort against the Pacers and that seems to have woken him up. The start of the season has been poor by his standards, but Portland's star man has now scored at least 25 points in three consecutive outings. He'll have a wonderful matchup to continue the scoring streak on Friday against Houston, before meeting Denver's tough defense on Sunday.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard posted his second straight game with 25-plus points in Tuesday's loss to the Clippers. Lillard connected on 11 of 23 shot attempts while making four treys, though his inefficiencies from beyond the arc continued, as he made just 4 of 13 attempts from that distance. The star guard has been a steady playmaker over his last eight contests, dishing out at least six assists in each of them. Lillard seems to slowly be rounding into form as a scorer and shooter, with a plus matchup against the Suns coming up on Wednesday. He put up an efficient 19 points with eight assists in just 24 minutes of action in his previous meeting with Phoenix.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard put forth an encouraging performance in Saturday's win over the Lakers. Lillard led the way with 25 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field, handing out six assists. After an ugly four-point, 0-for-6 shooting performance from downtown, the star guard found his rhythm from beyond the arc, as he knocked down 6 of 14 attempts from that distance. Lillard rounded out his line with three rebounds and two steals. It's been a disappointing start for Lillard and his fantasy managers, though he could stay hot from three-point range against the Clippers on Monday. Los Angeles has allowed the ninth-most makes from downtown to point guards.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard continued his early season shooting woes on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He shot 10-for-27 from the field and 3-for-12 from three-point range in the game. He wound up with a game-high and a season-high 26 points, but it certainly took a lot of effort to get there. He also had eight assists, three rebounds and two steals in the contest. Lillard is shooting just 35.3% from the field and 23.4% from three-point range through eight games this year. He's dished out 8.5 assists per game, but he is only averaging 19.5 points per game, a big decrease from last year, when he put up 28.8 points per game.

The shot is not falling for Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard right now. However, like all of the best players do, he is still finding a way to contribute to his team. In a 125-113 loss to Charlotte, the 31-year old guard had 14 points, 12 assists, and four rebounds, but the shooting struggles continued for the perennial All-Star. On Sunday, he went 5-for-20 from the floor and 2-for-14 from three. In addition, Lillard is now shooting a career-low 23.2 percent from deep after starting the season 13-for-56. Fortunately, the career-high 8.3 assists per game make up for some of the slack. Still, it's worth throwing out a buy-low offer if the Lillard manager is off to a slow start and has an itchy panic-button finger as the calendar flips to November.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard put his early-season struggles behind him with a strong performance in a win over the Clippers. Lillard paced the Blazers with a season-high 25 points, including 5 of 7 shooting from deep. The veteran guard knocked down back-to-back step-back threes in the fourth quarter to extend the Portland lead, certainly a welcome sight for his fantasy managers after he had struggled to find his shot from deep. Lillard chipped in six assists, four rebounds, and a steal. The five-time All-Star's 7.6 assists per game rank eighth in the league- and more performances like this once should have him among the NBA's best scorers sooner rather than later.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard had a rough shooting night in the team's 116-86 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He shot 4-for-15 from the field and 0-for-8 from three-point range. He only managed 12 points and three assists in the game, both of which were season-lows. It's certainly been a slow start to the year for the 31-year-old. Over three games, he's now averaging just 17.0 points per game while shooting 36% from the field. He'll look to get back on track in the team's next game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard finished Saturday's blowout win over the Suns with 19 points and eight assists in 24 minutes of action. He pulled down one rebound and registered two turnovers, while shooting 6-or-11 from the field, 2-for-7 from downtown and 5-for-5 at the line. Lillard has been fairly quiet in the first couple of games this season, with C.J. McCollum leading the team in scoring on both occasions, but he should kick into gear soon. Monday provides him a good matchup to shine as Portland faces the Clippers, whose defense has been shaky so far, especially against guards.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (coach's decision) won't suit up for the upcoming preseason matchup against the visiting Sacramento Kings. CJ McCollum will join him, although neither man is hurt or fatigued. Portland has three exhibitions on the schedule throughout the week, so the veteran is expected back in the lineup on Wednesday against the defending Western Conference Champions, the Phoenix Suns. Nonetheless, with Lillard and McCollum out of the mix on Monday, Anfernee Simons, Ben McLemore, Dennis Smith Jr., and Quinn Cook should all see minutes and be considered for GPP DFS lineups.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has no immediate plans on parting ways with the team. When asked about a potential departure from Rip City, the multi-time All-Star indicated that he isn't leaving before adding "not right now at least." The 31-year-old has been an elite fantasy option throughout his nine seasons of service in the league, most recently finishing the 2020-21 campaign by averaging 28.8 points, 7.5 assists, 4.2 boards, and shooting 39 percent from deep. Nonetheless, regardless of where he is playing when the regular season begins in October, he is expected to remain a top-10 fantasy option in all formats.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (abdomen) has been playing with an injury during the Olympics. Lillard is currently dealing with an abdomen ailment, which will require further testing once he is back in the United States. Although the multi-time All-Star was able to help Team USA secure a gold medal, it is still unsettling news for both Blazers' fans and fantasy managers alike. While the 31-year-old has been in Portland throughout his entire nine-year career, his name has been floating around as a potential trade target over the last few months. He averaged 28.8 points, 7.5 assists, and shot 39.1 percent from deep during the 2020-21 campaign, but if the injury is significant, he will undoubtedly see his fantasy stock plunge moving ahead.

Damian Lillard said Friday he has not requested a trade but wants the Portland Trail Blazers to be more urgent in their pursuit of a championship. The All-Star guard added that he expects to be with the Blazers next season, but made clear that he feels it needs to be with more talent around him. Lillard praised Portland as a great city with great fans and said there is pride that the organization is a perennial playoff team. “It’s a lot of positive,” Lillard said. “But I just think we’ve reached that point where it's like, OK, but it’s not enough. Do we actually want to win it all? Is that what we’re shooting for and we’ve got to do things to show that. We’ve got to put action behind that desire to win at that level.” Lillard is in Las Vegas with the U.S. Olympic team. He awoke to a report Friday from Truehoop.com, citing a person close to him, that he planned to request a trade in the coming days. “No. 1, it’s not true,” Billups said, “and secondly I’d also say that I haven’t made any... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers went into damage-control mode while introducing Chauncey Billups as their new coach Tuesday, amid questions about how they selected him over more experienced candidates and how sexual assault allegations were lodged against him nearly a quarter-century ago. Billups never faced charges related to those allegations that came out in 1997 and settled out of court with the accuser three years later. He addressed that chapter Tuesday, though when he was asked to elaborate on some of those comments the Trail Blazers refused to let him answer. Neil Olshey, the team’s president of basketball operations, said the team hired an independent firm to look into the sexual assault allegations and determined that nothing nonconsensual had occurred. “We stand by Chauncey, everyone in the organization, and believe he’s the right choice to be our head coach, and the right choice to be the kind of ambassador in the Portland community everybody here has become... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers have hired Chauncey Billups as their new coach. Billups, a five-time NBA All-Star over a 17-year playing career, has never been a head coach. He has served as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers for the past season. “Portland is a special place and a unique franchise," Billups said in a statement Sunday night. "As a player I always loved playing here because the passion and knowledge of the fans brought out the very best in me as a competitor. Now I’m looking forward to being on the other side of that energy and engaging with the Portland community on a whole other level.” The Blazers have scheduled a Tuesday press conference to introduce Billups, 44. He becomes the 15th head coach of the franchise. “Chauncey is a proven leader with an elite basketball IQ that has won everywhere he has been,” said Neil Olshey, Portland's president of basketball operations. “He is prepared for the challenge of developing the Championship habits and... [More]

The Portland Trail Blazers have settled on Los Angeles Clippers assistant Chauncey Billups as their new coach but the deal has not been finalized, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the offer had not been formally announced. The Athletic reported that Billups had accepted the job but contract negotiations were ongoing. Billups, the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and a five-time NBA All-Star over a 17-year playing career, has never been a head coach. The Blazers were also interested in Brooklyn Nets assistant Mike D’Antoni, as well as San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon. Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd withdrew his name from consideration after it was reported that Blazers guard Damian Lillard had endorsed him for the job. Billups, 44, was hired as an assistant under Clippers coach Tyronn Lue last November. The Blazers parted ways with Terry Stotts shortly after the team was eliminated by the Denver... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Portland Trail Blazers are compiling a list of possible candidates to replace coach Terry Stotts and general manager Neil Olshey said Monday that he hopes to start conducting a first round of virtual interviews this week. Rumors swirled this weekend about possible candidates after Stotts was fired Friday, a day after the Blazers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs, but Olshey said the team is still preparing the list to give to team owner Jody Allen. “We’re running a very expansive, diverse search. We’ll probably have anywhere from 20 to 25 candidates in there with biographical data, background, intel, impact studies, coaching records, playing records, etc., so that we all are speaking the same language as we vet these candidates,” he said. “I have not reached out to any teams or agents to request permission to conduct formal interviews until we’ve had a chance to review all those materials.” Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason... [More]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — No team in the NBA has a longer active streak of postseason appearances than the Portland Trail Blazers, who have gotten there in each of the last eight seasons. That wasn’t enough to save Terry Stotts, and Portland will have a new coach next season. The Trail Blazers and Stotts parted ways Friday, ending a nine-year run that saw the team good enough to get to the playoffs — but not good enough to get past the first round in four of the last five seasons. “I have the utmost respect for Terry and what he has accomplished these past nine seasons,” Blazers President Neil Olshey said. “This was a difficult decision on both a personal and professional level but it’s in the best interest of the franchise to move in another direction. “Terry will always hold a special place in the Trail Blazer family and the Portland community. We relied on the integrity, professionalism and consistency he brought to the job every day and we wish he and Jan nothing but the best.” It was being... [More]