On Sunday night, Damian Lillard put on an incredible performance for the Portland Trail Blazers as he set both franchise and career highs with 71 points and 13 3-pointers.
His achievement is tied for the most in the NBA this season with Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also scored 71 points in a game against the Chicago Bulls on January 2nd.
Lillard broke his own franchise record of 61 points, which he had achieved twice before. He accomplished this feat with a 3-pointer with just 4:42 remaining in the game, which also broke his personal best record of 11 3-pointers.
The crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, and they chanted “MVP! MVP!” as Lillard left the game with 44 seconds left.
By halftime, Lillard had already scored 41 points and made eight 3-pointers, which was not only a career-high for him in a half but also the most points in a half for any player in the league this season.
Lillard had scored 50 points by the start of the fourth quarter.
Jerami Grant contributed 13 points to the game for the Blazers, who led by as many as 23 points. Portland is part of a cluster of eight Western Conference teams vying for playoff spots and are separated by just four wins.
The Rockets, who currently sit in last place in the Western Conference with just 13 overall wins and nine straight losses, had a solid performance from Alperen Sengun, who contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Lillard’s performance on Sunday night was remarkable and historic as he became the 8th player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a single game.
He also became the first player in NBA history to score 70 or more points, have 5 or more rebounds and assists, and make 10 or more 3-pointers in a single game.
»Damian Lillard put on incredible performance for Portland Trail Blazers«
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