Damian Lillard Scores 71

Damian Lillard scored a Portland Trail Blazers franchise record 71 points in their 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Lillard became the 8th and oldest player in NBA history to score 70 points in a game. Lillard is 32 years old and no player over the age of 30 had ever scored 70 points in an NBA game before. He tied the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season. Mitchell scored 71 points in a win over the Chicago Bulls on January 2nd.

Lillard made 13 3-pointers and finished the night 22 of 38 shooting. He made all 14 of his free throws during the game. He scored 41 of his 71 points in the first half. His was lauded as a “masterful performance” and “a piece of art” by Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. In the final minutes of the game, the Trail Blazers home crowd was chanting “M-V-P.” It was also Lillard’s fifth career 60 point game, the third most in NBA history, only behind Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain.

Lillard’s mood however was slightly dampened by the drug test after the game. He said that he is afraid of needles, specifically blood draws from them, which is completely understandable. But beyond the drug test, everything else was great for Lillard. His efforts helped the Trail Blazers to improve to 29 wins and 31 losses. The Trail Blazers are half a game out of the play in for the playoffs at the moment, behind the 30-31 New Orleans Pelicans.

There have been some calls, from fans to analysts, for Lillard to move to a team in greater contention for the NBA title. Those who call for this say that his talent is wasted on the Trail Blazers. But Lillard, who was drafted by the Trail Blazers in 2012, has spent his entire NBA career on the team, and shows no signs of wanting out. The seven time NBA All Star has made the playoffs all but one season in his career. Going far in the playoffs with the Trail Blazers has been the challenge for him. The farthest he has gotten is the Western Conference Final in the 2018-19 season.

Lillard started after winning the NBA 3-point contest the previous weekend. He also participated in the NBA All Star Game. The Trail Blazers’ next game is against fellow playoff contender the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, February 28th. The final 22 games will be critical for the Trail Blazers’ playoff hopes. One thing is for certain though; Sunday’s 71 point game will be a highlight of his season.