Lowe’s 10 things: A flaw that could undo the Lakers, Dame’s career scoring run, and the preposterous Bol Bol

This week’s “10 Things” features a Hall of Famer quarterback with a career year, some post-season X factors, weakness at the Los Angeles Lakers, and a new rollercoaster opening in Orlando.

1. Damian Lillard painting the entire defense

Lillard is now scoring points in his life for a Portland Trail Blazers team that is not healthy, stable, and not good enough to turn those points binges into wins. Portland are 5-9 in their last 14 games and are in 12th place.

Lillard is averaging 32.3 points, trailing only Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic. The threat of his pull-up 3 pushes the defense to the limit, opening up opportunities for Lillard’s strikes.

Lillard seizes these chances with mad fury. He averages 22 drives per 100 possessions and regularly dusts off both defenders – his own and his cover – in the moment of attack. Roast this layer and the third and fourth defenders will surround Lillard to prevent dunks. Again and again, Lillard breaks through the lane and brings entire teams together, creating open views everywhere: