Damian Lillard

Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is shooting 31 percent from the field the last six games.

(Bruce Ely/The Oregonian)

ATLANTA -- Injuries have changed starting lineups and wreaked havoc on rotations. Slow starts have made things difficult from darn near the opening tip. Nicolas Batum's disappointing season hasn't waned.

But another, more surprising, issue is plaguing the Trail Blazers right now, as they grind through their most challenging run of the season: Damian Lillard is in a funk.

The Blazers' starting point guard -- who almost certainly will earn his second All-Star Game invitation when reserves are announced Thursday night -- is in the midst of his coldest shooting stretch of his career. And it just happens to coincide with the Blazers' least successful stretch of the season.

Lillard is shooting just 31 percent from the field (38 for 122), including 28 percent from three-point range (14-50), over the last six games. While his good friend Kyrie Irving was putting on a show during the Cleveland Cavaliers' 99-94 Wednesday night win over the Blazers, Lillard was virtually invisible. He made just 4 of 19 shots, including 3 of 10 three-pointers, and the NBA's most prolific fourth-quarter scorer was shut out in the most important period, when he missed all five of his field goal attempts -- including a potential game-tying three in the closing seconds.

Before this six-game cold spell, Lillard had never shot below 40 percent more than four games in a row. But over the last 10 days, he's only shot better than 34.8 percent once, when he made 5 of 13 field goals in a win over the Washington Wizards.

What's going on with the Blazers' dynamic playmaker?

"I'm not sure," he said Wednesday night.

It hasn't helped that Aldridge missed nearly three games with a torn ligament in his left thumb, prompting defenses to game plan around Lillard more than normal. It also hasn't helped that Batum continues to average single digits in scoring, neutralizing a weapon that creates space for Lillard. But coach Terry Stotts said the Cavaliers didn't schematically do anything drastically different against Lillard. For the most part, on the court and behind the scenes, Lillard's life has been status quo.

He said he's getting the same shot attempts he normally gets. He said he's watching the same amount of film. He said he's following his usual routines during pregame warmups and at practice.

The only thing different is the end result.

"You can't make shots all the time," he said. "I just had an extended streak ... where I was making a lot of shots. You'll have these streaks every once in a while over an 82-game season."

True. But the timing of this particular dry spell has not been good. The Blazers (32-14) have lost six of their last eight games, including four of six during Lillard's slump.

We've seen shorter versions this before. Lillard opened the season in a funk, too, shooting 27 percent over the first three games. Then, just as he always does, he broke out, shooting better than 50 percent the next three games.

Is another bounce back looming?

"He's a competitive guy," Aldridge said. "He'll figure it out."

After Wednesday night's loss, Lillard lingered in front of his stall in the Blazers' locker room longer than normal, staring into the wood panels and thumbing through his phone. He seemed to be wallowing in the moment. The loss. His play. The Blazers' January skid. It hasn't been the best month.

But after he dressed and spoke to reporters, it was the same old Lillard. Calm. Cool. Optimistic. Looking forward.

In a few hours, he'll almost certainly earn an All-Star berth for the second time in three seasons. He's been through this before.

"I'm not concerned with it," he said. "I've just got to keep shooting, stay aggressive. I'm not going to get away from what I always do. It's just the way it goes, I guess."

--Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman