Soobum Im / USA TODAY Sports
Damian Lillard grew to become the eighth participant in NBA historical past to prime 70 factors in a single sport on Sunday when he dropped 71 in a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets. In the method, he joined seven of the best scorers in NBA historical past within the file books. Wilt Chamberlain scored 70 six occasions. Kobe Bryant is in second place with 81 factors in a single sport. David Thompson, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell have all reached 70 factors as properly, with Mitchell doing so this season.
The efficiency is the newest in a string of gems from the Blazers guard. He entered Sunday’s sport averaging 37.6 factors in his previous 18 video games. Now, that complete is even greater. Lillard started the stretch by scoring 50 factors in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he reached 60 in a win over the Utah Jazz late in January. With 71, he set a brand new career-high in factors whereas lifting the Blazers to a important win over the Rockets.
At 28-31, the Blazers entered Sunday’s sport not solely beneath .500, however out of the play-in image. With the win, they gained important floor on an evening wherein rivals Minnesota and Oklahoma City misplaced. They now sit in eleventh place within the Western Conference, however solely three video games behind the No. 4 seed Phoenix Suns.
Lillard practically made historical past in one other statistic on Sunday. By making 13 3-pointers, he completed one shy of Klay Thompson’s NBA file of 14 in a single sport. Lillard had a number of probabilities to tie Thompson within the closing possessions of the sport, however with little vitality left, waived off appears to be like from his teammates in his remaining seconds on the ground resulting from exhaustion. He exited the sport with 44.1 seconds remaining to a standing ovation from his followers in Portland.
The sport was Lillard’s first after the All-Star break. He was dominated out of Thursday’s sport towards the Sacramento Kings with a relaxation designation, which precipitated a little bit of confusion contemplating it had been 9 days since his final sport. The resolution to sit down Lillard out was resulting from a journey delay. A snowstorm in Portland stored the Blazers on the tarmac for seven hours Wednesday earlier than they finally went house and traveled to Sacramento on Thursday. Without Lillard, the Blazers misplaced to the Kings by 17 factors. In the top, although, it would be laborious to complain concerning the outcomes. Lillard used his relaxation evening as a launching pad for one of many biggest particular person performances in NBA historical past.
