Damian Lillard scored 71 points as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Houston Rockets 131-114, placing him joint eighth all-time in NBA history.
Only Kobe Bryant, who has 81 points, and David Thompson, who has 73 points, have scored more points in a game than Wilt Chamberlain, who has done so five times.
Lillard missed one of Klay Thompson’s 13 three-point attempts in the NBA at the Moda Center in Portland. However, the Trail Blazers set a record with Lillard’s total.
According to Lillard, “I got it going early on and I stayed aggressive.” I desired to engage in an attack. Although I am aware that it is a team effort, I feel obligated to ensure that we achieve success. We need to win as many of our remaining 22 or 23 games as possible.”
In the meantime, coach Chauncey Billups of the Blazers lavished praise on Lillard’s performance.
“A work of art, it was a masterful performance. Even though I’ve been in the league for a very, very long time, we rarely get to experience things like this. 71 points is just incredible.
“He came out in the second half and made every right play in the third quarter. Having 41 points at halftime was insane.” He stated
The Trail Blazers are just outside the play-in spots in the Western Conference with a 29-31 record.
Lillard has scored more than 60 points in a game more frequently than Chamberlain (32) or Bryant (6).
Last month, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell defeated the Chicago Bulls by scoring 71 points.
In other games, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 111-108 after coming back from a 27-point deficit, and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 104-101 to extend their winning streak to 14 games.
