Damian Lillard reveals the mind games he played with Deandre Ayton

2022-10-22 19:58

Damian Lillard told Deandre Ayton to think about whether he's been in that situation before when the center stood to shoot two game-deciding free throws. The guard wanted to put pressure on the center that he isn't used to. Ayton missed both shots.

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In last night's game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns, Deandre Ayton stood at the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game in overtime with just a second to go on the clock.

Down by two, the Suns needed the center to make both shots. Just before the attempts, Damian Lillard walked past Ayton and said something directly to him. Ayton had previously made his only free throw his shot.

However, when his team needed him the most, Ayton missed both shots and Portland got the win.

Damian Lillard

Damian  Lillard
Damian  Lillard
MIN: 39.68
PTS: 30.5 (59.38%)
REB: 5.5
As: 5.5
ST: 1
BL: 0.5
TO: 4
GM: 2

"I only asked him, 'have you ever been in this situation before?' It's not easy when you have to make free throws," Lillard said after the game. "It's not an easy situation to be in. The whole game doesn't come down to one possession, there are a lot of things that happened but in a way, looking at it, this is the chance to tie the game."

"I just asked him, I just wanted him to think about it a little bit," the star guard continued. "He ignored me. When he ignored me, I was pretty sure he was thinking about it."

In an otherwise-solid game, Ayton scored 26 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Meanwhile, Lillard finished the match with 41 points and 7 rebounds in his account.

The episode:

Damian Lillard's explanation:



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