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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard saw his 230-game streak of double-figure scoring snapped in Wednesday night's 114-106 loss to the Toronto Raptors. It was the third-longest active streak in the NBA and longest in Portland franchise history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Lillard entered the game averaging 32.5 points over the first 11 games of the 2019-20 season, putting him second in the league behind James Harden of the Houston Rockets (38.2). But Toronto managed to hold him to nine points Wednesday using similar defensive tactics to the ones the Raptors employed against Warriors star Stephen Curry during the 2019 NBA Finals, when Toronto beat Golden State in six games to win its first championship. Employing guard Fred VanVleet and forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson as primary defenders, the Raptors managed to deny Lillard the ball and keep him from getting any space when he handled it. After making his first shot of the night, a 3-pointer, Lillard missed his next nine attempts before hitting a 3 with 2 minutes, 34 seconds left in the game -- a span of more than 42 minutes without a field goal. In his worst outing of the season, Lillard was held to 2-of-12 shooting from the field, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range. "It's the fourth team in a row to come out denying me full court. Box-and-one," Lillard said. "I don't remember seeing that many box-and-ones in the NBA, but I mean, they make me play against a crowd. Even when I try to get downhill and be aggressive, there's four guys right there. The right play is to kick it ahead, get it out, that was the only option they gave me a lot of times. It's just what it was.'' The most recent time Lillard failed to reach double figures was Nov. 9, 2016, when he had eight points on 1-of-10 shooting in a 111-82 loss to the LA Clippers. Per ESPN Stats & Info data, the league's two longest active streaks of double-figure scoring belong to LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers (939) and Harden (352), with both extending their runs Wednesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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