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'The Game is Slowing Down' for Lillard the Playmaker

With 19 points and 10 assists in just under 30 minutes of work in Saturday's 121-84 win over the Orlando Magic, Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard became the first Portland guard to record 15 double-doubles in a season since Rod Strickland had 33 in the 1995-96 campaign.

Lillard had recorded a high of just seven double-doubles in a season in his previous three seasons, but as the team's leader on and off the floor in 2015-16, Lillard has taken it upon himself to become a more complete player in running the Blazer offense.

Yes, his points per game are up from a previous career-high of 21 ppg, last season -- but Lillard has also seen himself become more of a playmaker as his assists have increased from 6.