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When he first set foot on Weber State's campus, Damian Lillard wondered what a path from Ogden to the NBA might look like.

"I just felt like it was a small school, so maybe the Jazz would have to come watch me," he said standing at a locker Wednesday night. "And they would have to, like, find me as a diamond in the rough or something."

A few years and a couple of All-Star appearances later, Lillard is as polished as anyone in the league. And the Jazz knew exactly where he was during Wednesday night's home opener: everywhere.

The Portland Trail Blazers point guard dropped a game-high 35 points in a 108-92 win over the Jazz, making his biannual Utah homecoming a nightmare for the home team.

"He's setting the tone, man," said Blazers center Mason Plumlee. "Everything really starts with him."

For the Blazers now, just about everything ends with Lillard, too.

When All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge bolted for San Antonio over the summer, Lillard became the No. 1 option on a rebuilt squad.

"He's been the guy there and he's got a presence," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said before the game. "More than just being a talented, good player, to me he's got a presence and he carries himself in a way [and] you want to follow guys like that."

Lillard came into the night averaging 25 points per game, and torched nearly everyone Snyder threw at him Wednesday. He played more than 40 minutes, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists in addition to his scoring.

When Utah cut the Blazers' double-digit lead to 7, Lillard provided the answer, knocking down a long jumper in traffic to stop the bleeding. A few minutes later, the point guard scored an easy layup off a backdoor cut, sending fans to the exits early.

"It's a responsibility," Lillard said after he'd lifted the Blazers to 3-2 on the season. "When things aren't going well, when things are going well, I've just got to be able to manage that and keep the team calm. And when it's time to make something happen, I've got to be willing to accept that challenge.

"So far, I've been able to do that."

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