Lillard leaves Blazers for impending birth of first child

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Damian Lillard says he’s on his way home and hoping to arrive in time for the impending birth of his son.

That means Lillard, who scored 41 points in Portland’s 107-103 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, won’t play when the Blazers visit Memphis on Wednesday night.

Lillard says he learned when he got to the locker room after the game against the Pelicans that his girlfriend is in labor. He says the message was essentially, “Get home.”

Lillard says he’ll go directly from the airport to the hospital when he lands.

The Trail Blazers All-Star says he’s excited but hoping he could get some sleep on the flight back to the West Coast, given how little sleep new parents tend to get.

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