Damian Lillard outpaces Michael Jordan, James Harden with 5 career 60-point games, trailing only Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain
Damian Lillard scored career high 71 points against the Houston Rockets. He became the fourth highest scorer in league's history.
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Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard went off on Sunday against the Houston Rockets and scored a career-high 71 points in a much-needed win. He became the third player in history to have multiple games with 60 points or more. That was not the only record that the Portland Trail Blazers star broke in the game against the weaker Rockets. It was the second game in the season after Donovan Mitchell scored at least 70 points in a game.
In a 131-114 demolition of the Rockets, Lillard scored 71 in just 39 minutes of the game. In his highly efficient game, Lillard made 13 three-pointers and also made 22 of 38 shots from the field. Interestingly he scored 40 points at halftime. He had reached his 50 points in the third quarter and by the time they came out of the game, he had 71 on the scoreboard. He also became the oldest player to have a 70-point game in league history.
The Blazers’ star now has five 60-point games in his career, which is only behind Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant. Chamberlain has a total of 32 games with at least 60 points, followed by Kobe Bryant who has a total of six. Dolla moved ahead of James Harden and Michael Jordan who he was tied with four games with at least 60 points. On the other hand, now only Wilt, Kobe, and David Thompson have scored more points in a single game than Lillard.
Blazers coach Chauncy Billups calls Damian Lillard’s 71 points game a piece of art
To look at the number and the stat sheet, it is hard to fathom the kind of efficiency it would need from a player to score at this rate in subsequent quarters. Blazers head coach and former NB champion, Chauncy Billups heaped praise for his star player and said that Lillard’s game was nothing short of art. “It’s so great because of the efficiency,” Billups said, via 1080 The Fan’s Danny Marang. “Even when he had his career high, he still didn’t force. I thought it was a piece of art … It was a masterful performance,” he added.
Moreover, going forward the Blazers are in the 11th spot in the Western Conference, right ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. The next games are crucial for their playoff spot. Lillard said that he had to be in attack mode to get over the Rockets. “Obviously being short-handed, I know that it’s going to be a team effort, but I feel like I gotta do my best to be aggressive and just try to do what I can to make sure that we get some wins. That’s all the case was tonight. I wanted to be in attack mode. I got it going, and I just stayed aggressive.”
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Nandjee Ranjan
(488 Articles Published)