Blazers' Lillard named MVP of seeding games
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard was named the runaway MVP of the seeding games at the NBA bubble near Orlando on Saturday.
Phoenix coach Monty Williams, whose Suns went 8-0 in the season restart, was named the top coach of the seeding games.
Lillard was the unanimous winner, securing all 22 first-place votes for 110 points. Devin Booker was a distant runner-up with 58 points. Joining Lillard and Booker on the All-Seeding Games first team were Indiana's T.J. Warren, Dallas superstar Luka Doncic and James Harden of Houston.
Lillard averaged an NBA-high 37.6 points and 9.6 assists in the seeding games, leading Portland to a 6-2 record. The Trail Blazers won their final three seeding games, with Lillard scoring 51 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, tying his franchise scoring record with 61 points against the Dallas Mavericks, and finishing with 42 points and 12 assists in a victory over the Brooklyn Nets that clinched Portland's spot in the Western Conference play-in.
The Blazers play the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday in the play-in. As the No. 8 seed, a win advances the Blazers into the first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers. If Memphis win, the teams play again Sunday with the winner moving on to face the Lakers.
Composing the All-Seeding Games second team were Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Los Angeles Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, Brooklyn's Caris LeVert, Denver's Michael Porter Jr. and Dallas' Kristaps Porzingis.
Williams, who led the Suns to the NBA's only unbeaten record in the seeding games and the franchise's first eight-game winning streak since the 2009-10 season, was selected as the Coach of the Seeding Games with 20 of 21 first-place votes and 103 points.
Portland's Terry Stotts received the other first-place vote and finished in second place with 41 points, followed by Brooklyn's Jacque Vaughn (18 points) in third place.
The All-Seeding teams and coach were selected by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who have been on site covering the 2019-20 season restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando.
--Field Level Media
