Damian Lillard scored game-high 44 points as the Trail Blazers lost against the Nuggets (113-122). Nikola Jokic dropped 36 along with 12 rebounds and 10 assists for Denver.
But Lillard thinks that it was the referees who decided the game. He complained about the fouls called against Portland in the fourth quarter.
Via Pat Graham of the Associated Press:
“It’s a lot of stuff that we could have done better, but down the stretch I just felt like the refs just decided the game,” said Lillard, who drew a technical foul late in the fourth quarter. “Obviously it’s going to be bumps, it’s going to be a physical game, both teams working hard to win a game. We get down the stretch and it was just like everything we did was a foul. That’s just what it seemed like to me.”
During the fourth quarter the officials called 11 fouls against Portland, including two technical fouls – one for Lillard and one fore Chauncey Billups. Lillard collected all of four of his fouls in the final period. Meanwhile, the Nuggets were given 7 foul calls.
