Damian Lillard

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, 32, poured in 71 points Sunday against the Rockets, tied for eighth-most points in a single game in NBA history.

The only difference in protocol is that blood draws must take place after a game is played, if a player is selected for random testing on a day he is scheduled to play He made all 14 of his free-throw attempts. "It brought me down from here to the floor." Lillard made 22 of his 38 shot attempts Sunday night, including 13 of 22 from beyond the arc. "I mean, honestly, I was like, 'Are y'all serious?' " Lillard said Sunday during his post-game news conference. Lillard's previous career high was 61 points, which he had set twice.

He now has five 60-point games in his career, which trails only Kobe Bryant's six and Wilt Chamberlain's 61. Sunday's performance was the eighth-highest scoring ...

It was Dame time from the moment the ball was tipped between the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets on Sunday. Damian Lillard had a mind-bending 41…

The opportunity to see performances like this one keeps the Moda Center packed every night, as Lillard has been one of the lone bright spots during a difficult Blazers season. Albeit against the lowly Rockets, Lillard's performance is impressive regardless of opponent and has the potential to be historic depending on where he finishes. Damian Lillard had a mind-bending 41 points in the first half—in just 19 minutes—against Houston at the Moda Center, sending the crowd into a frenzy with each of his eight three-pointers as Portland cruised to a 73-58 halftime lead.

1. Lillard is the only player in NBA history to score 70 points and make at least 10 3-pointers in a single game. · 6. Lillard now has the six-highest scoring ...

That is the number of players in NBA history that have scored 70 points in a game. Lillard, now 32 years old, is the oldest player ever to score 70 points in an NBA game. By true shooting percentage, Lillard just had the most efficient game with at least 71 total points in NBA history. He was already the only player in NBA history to score 60 points and make at least 10 3's. Lillard attempted a record-tying 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter, but missed. Lillard began the stretch by scoring 50 points in a loss to the [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/CLE/cleveland-cavaliers/), and he reached 60 in a win over the [Utah Jazz](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/UTA/utah-jazz/) late in January. The non-Lillard Blazers single-game scoring record is 54, set by Damon Stoudamire in 2005. Lillard used his rest night as a launching pad for one of the greatest individual performances in [NBA](/nba/) history. He exited the game with 44.1 seconds remaining to a standing ovation from his fans in Portland. [Damian Lillard](/nba/players/1992810/damian-lillard/) became the eighth player in NBA history to top 70 points in a single game on Sunday when he dropped 71 in a 131-114 victory over the [Houston Rockets](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/HOU/houston-rockets/). A snowstorm in Portland kept the Blazers on the tarmac for seven hours Wednesday before they ultimately went home and traveled to Sacramento on Thursday. They now sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, but only three games behind the No.

The Blazers star set two franchise records on a historic night in Portland.

[February 27, 2023] He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter. It was a career-high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. MVP!” Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he’d done twice, on a 3-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his career record for 3s in a game with 11. Lillard tied Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan.

Lillard's 71 points ties Donovan Mitchell for the highest scoring output by any player in the NBA this season.

The Blazers improve to 28-31 with the win and are tied for 11th in the Western Conference with the By the fourth quarter, when he eclipsed the franchise mark of 61, the crowd was on its feet for every offensive possession. The urgency has to pick up. Lillard’s record-setting performance came one day after he told teammates the push for the playoffs started Sunday, imploring that “it has to happen now. But I feel like I got to do my best to be aggressive and just try to do what I can to make sure we get wins. [NBA](https://theathletic.com/nba/)history behind [Klay Thompson](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/klay-thompson-JyZHl24VVa8twrMw/)’s 14 in 2018.

The Portland all-star guard matched Donovan Mitchell's mark earlier this season, setting a new career high and Trail Blazers franchise record in a 131-114 ...

I got it going and I just stayed aggressive.” Obviously being shorthanded, I know it’s going to be a team effort, but I’ve got to do my best to be aggressive and try to do what I can to get some wins. When they weren’t aggressive enough and they were scared of how quick he is getting to the basket, he got to his step-back. When they blitzed him and trapped him, he hit the guy in the pocket. He added six rebounds and six assists in 39 minutes, checking out to a standing ovation with just under a minute to play. I didn’t want to try to come out and get back on the heater. In the second half, they came out and gave me a lot of attention, and I just wanted to be patient. Intentionally or not, Lillard’s outburst came after mounting chatter in recent days that the Blazers might tank down the stretch in hopes of improving their lottery odds. Remarkably, Lillard now ranks third all-time with five 60-point efforts, trailing only Chamberlain (32) and Bryant (six). To put Lillard’s 71 points into perspective within Sunday’s contest, he single-handedly outscored all of his teammates combined (60) and Houston’s entire starting lineup (67). The young and overmatched Rockets, who were without starting guards Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., rank 29th this season in defensive efficiency and have the NBA’s worst record at 13-47. [scoring 114.4 points per game](https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_stats_per_game.html), the highest average since 1969-70.

Damian Lillard set franchise and career highs with 71 points and 13 3-pointers in a 131-114 win over the Rockets.

[Golden State](/nba/team/_/name/gs/golden-state-warriors)'s [Klay Thompson](https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/6475/klay-thompson) in 2018. [Wilt Chamberlain](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/4142/wilt-chamberlain) owns the league record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game and won the 3-point contest the previous weekend. [Cleveland](/nba/team/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers)'s [Donovan Mitchell](http://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3908809/donovan-mitchell) for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. It was a career high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. "I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you're hot, you're in attack mode, you're feeling good," Lillard said. "I know I've got a lot of tattoos, but when you're doing a blood draw, it's different from tattoos. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter. Overall, Lillard was 22-of-38 from the floor and made all 14 of his free throw attempts. Lillard became the eighth different player to score 70 points in NBA history. That was incredible." Lillard broke his own franchise mark of 61 points, which he'd done twice, on a 3-pointer with 4:42 left that also topped his career record for 3s in a game with 11.

Damian Lillard put on a memorable show and established career highs of 71 points and 13 3-pointers to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 131-114 victory ...

Damian Lillard set an NBA record in his monster scoring night on Sunday, racking up 71 points in 39 minutes, including 13 three-pointers, as the Portland ...

The Blazers snapped a two-game losing skid with the win and keep their slim hopes of a playoff spot alive. With that performance, Lillard entered a pantheon of NBA greats. “It was a piece of art. “It really, really was a masterful performance,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said of his star’s game. Lillard started the scoring early, with 41 points, including eight three-pointers at halftime. I got it going and stayed aggressive.”

41 points including eight 3-pointers were scored by Lillard by the halftime, which was the most by any player in a half this season.

Fans began to wonder if it was also the most by any player ever but it wasn't. In total, he had aggregated 100-point in that game and it also remains the highest ever points scored by a single player. Lillard's amazing feat also the joint best performance by any player in the ongoing season.

Was I supposed to be overly excited?” the Blazers All-Star said Sunday night. He was not the first to score 71 in a game this season, and he may not be the ...

His scoring average of 32.3 points is a career high and is third in the N.B.A. That’s tied for the second most in a game behind Thompson’s 14 for the Warriors in a 52-point game in 2018. He also has career highs in field goal percentage (.472) and free throw percentage (.919) and in most of the all-inclusive stats Of the players who tallied the 20 other 50-point games this season, only Jayson Tatum — in a 51-point game for the Celtics — had as many free throws without missing one. Only two other Blazers scored in double figures, and only one — Jerami Grant — hit double figures in shots. [Only eight players](https://stathead.com/tiny/Phvdb) have scored 70 points in an N.B.A. The only player to do it more than once was Wilt Chamberlain, who accomplished the 70-plus feat six times, topped by [his legendary 100-point game](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/sports/basketball/wilt-chamberlain-100-point-game.html) in 1962. Mitchell’s 71 came in 50 minutes in an overtime game. Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell also scored 71 points in a game on Jan. Seven of them are Kobe Bryant (81); David Thompson (73); Lillard, Mitchell, Elgin Baylor and David Robinson (71); and Devin Booker (70). In all, there have been 21 games of 50 or more points this season. When someone scores 71 points in an N.B.A.

Soon after the streamers fell to the court and the crowd headed for the exits, Lillard was summoned for a drug test.

It was a career high in a half for Lillard and the most points in a half for any player in the league this season. Lillard has now scored 748 points in his past 19 games, according to CBS Sports. He was also 14 of 14 from the foul line. Grant's 3-pointer for Portland extended the margin to 108-98. And Lillard got tested on the night he tied Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season after Mitchell also scored 71 in a win over Chicago on Jan. "But we need everyone to give effort on the defensive end." Lillard, now 32 years old, is the oldest player ever to score 70 points in an NBA game, according to CBS Sports. He had 50 by the start of the fourth quarter. "I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you're hot, you're in attack mode, you're feeling good," Lillard said. It brought me down from here to the floor," Lillard said gesturing with his hand raised then dropping it. His 13 3-pointers were also one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State's Klay Thompson in 2018. Turns out, the seven-time All-Star who's unafraid of taking a 3-pointer from half court is afraid of needles.

The performance is the latest in a string of gems from the Blazers guard. He entered Sunday's game averaging 37.6 points in his past 18 games. Now, that total ...

That is the number of players in NBA history that have scored 70 points in a game. Many of Lillard's 3-pointers on the night came from well behind the line, including a stunning shot from the logo late in the first half. Lillard, now 32 years old, is the oldest player ever to score 70 points in an NBA game. By true shooting percentage, Lillard just had the most efficient game with at least 71 total points in NBA history. He was already the only player in NBA history to score 60 points and make at least 10 3's. Lillard began the stretch by scoring 50 points in a loss to the [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/CLE/cleveland-cavaliers/), and he reached 60 in a win over the [Utah Jazz](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/UTA/utah-jazz/) late in January. Lillard attempted a record-tying 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter, but missed. Lillard used his rest night as a launching pad for one of the greatest individual performances in [NBA](/nba/) history. He exited the game with 44.1 seconds remaining to a standing ovation from his fans in Portland. [Damian Lillard](/nba/players/1992810/damian-lillard/) became the eighth player in NBA history to top 70 points in a single game on Sunday when he dropped 71 in a 131-114 victory over the [Houston Rockets](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/HOU/houston-rockets/). A snowstorm in Portland kept the Blazers on the tarmac for seven hours Wednesday before they ultimately went home and traveled to Sacramento on Thursday. They now sit in 11th place in the Western Conference, but only three games behind the No.

The NBA world was blown away by Damian Lillard dropping 71 points on Sunday, and that world reacts on social media, so we compiled the best of it.

The win moves the Hawks a game above .500 as the eighth seed in the East. Young should like Snyder’s system (once it gets installed fully next season), which will feature a lot more 3-pointers but also ball and player movement, not Young pounding the ball into the floor out top for 10 seconds. It will not be easy (ask the last two Hawks coaches), and Young has not always bought into the system those coaches have wanted him to play. With that big night, the Trail Blazers picked up a needed 131-114 victory over the Rockets. That is the Davis the Lakers got on Sunday (and have gotten recently) as he finished with 30 points, 15 rebounds and three blocked shots. We have to grow up if we want to win a championship.” When they needed stops against the Lakers, they couldn’t get them. For Dallas, this was a reminder of how far they have to go to live up to the promise of the Luka Dončić and That size has helped the Lakers’ defense and rebounding since the trade. Us as a team we have to mature… “This is not going to work without AD… [Anthony Davis](https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/basketball/nba/player/29801/anthony-davis) the Lakers must have to win

The Trail Blazers star is so ready to do something that we haven't seen in years.

After the game, the NBA administered the Portland Trail Blazers sharpshooter the first postgame blood test of his career. He was miffed.