NBA Star Index: Damian Lillard's clutch numbers, Jimmy Butler's stifling defense without fouling turning heads

Also, James Harden is averaging a triple-double over his last 15 games

Welcome back to the NBA Star Index -- a weekly gauge of the players who are most controlling the buzz around the league. Reminder: Inclusion on this list isn't necessarily a good thing. It simply means that you're capturing the NBA world's attention. Also, this is not a ranking. The players listed are in no particular order as it pertains to the buzz they're generating. This column will run every week through the end of the regular season.  At this point, if Lillard isn't at or very near the top of your MVP board, you have some explaining to do. He just keeps pulling off the impossible as a matter of routine, his latest late-game heroics coming in the Portland Trail Blazers' 125-124 victory over the Pelicans, whom Lillard personally outscored 15-9 over the final 6:53 to rally the Blazers from a 17-point deficit.  The Blazers are now 6-1 in one- or two-point games this season, and their 16 clutch wins falls short of only Brooklyn's 17. In those clutch minutes, Lillard leads the league with 124 total points on 60 percent shooting, including 53 percent mark from 3, and he's a perfect 38 for 38 from the free throw line.