Damian Lillard Reacts After Squaring Off Against CJ McCollum for the First Time

• Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum faced each other for the first time since the latter was traded last year
• The two guards played eight and a half seasons together with the Portland Trail Blazers
• McCollum was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in February 2022

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were one of the best backcourts in the NBA in the last decade. They had moderate postseason success before they were split up in February 2022.

They faced each other for the first time and the New Orleans Pelicans star came out on top this time, beating Lillard's team 121-110.

Lillard and McCollum spent eight and a half seasons together with the Portland Trail Blazers before McCollum was traded to the Pelicans in February 2022. The Blazers' all-time leading scorer was unavailable in the first three matchups.

In the eight full seasons, the guards were teammates; the Blazers never missed the postseason. The farthest they reached was the 2019 Western Conference finals but were swept by the Golden State Warriors, per NOLA.

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Lillard and McCollum reactions

The Blazers drafted Lillard at No. 6 overall in 2012, then took McCollum at No. 10 overall. The Pelican's star was moved into the starting lineup for good in 2015-16 and helped make the Blazers a consistent team.

Both players said the matchup felt like practice.

"At first, it was weird. It felt like practice a little bit, a couple of the matchups," Lillard said.

McCollum loved the matchup

"Just like practice, only a longer game, a couple more foul calls and fans there. It's cool to compete against your peers and your friends and people that you respect and you worked with. That's what the game is about. It's about respecting the game, playing hard and giving all you've got," via ESPN.

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Lillard continued with his red-hot run, scoring 41 points which marked his 13th time this season with 40-plus. That saw him pass Michael Jordan for the most 40-point game in a single season by a player aged 32 or older.

His former teammate scored 24 points, but Brandon Ingram was the star of the night, scoring a season-high 40 points.

Lillard scores 71

Sports Brief earlier reported on Lillard becoming the eighth player in NBA history to score 71 points in a single game when the Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 131-114.

He also became the second player to score at least 70 points in a game after Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell scored 71 against the Chicago Bulls on January 2.

His 13 3-pointers were one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson in 2018.