Damian Lillard’s case for MVP now includes a 41-point game against the Pelicans

Damian Lillard scored 41 grown-man points in 42 minutes to power the Trail Blazers to a playoff-like victory over Anthony Davis and the Pelicans Tuesday night. What do I mean by “grown-man points?” Only nine of his 41 points came from behind the arc, and only two came from the foul line.

That means he scored 30 points the old-fashioned way: Like a grown-ass man.

Lillard shot 18-of-33, or 54.5 percent from the field in Portland’s 107-103 win. Twenty of his points came in the fourth quarter alone. You know what time it is?

Dame time.

And obviously not your No. 1 vote. That belongs to James Harden, and Harden only. Hell, you can even write Anthony Davis’ name with a permanent marker into your second place MVP vote. He finished with 36 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks, four assists, and two steals against Portland. Davis is as deserving of a runner-up nod to Harden as anyone else.

But few, if anyone, expected Portland to have the season they’re having. The Trail Blazers are firmly seeded third in the wild Western Conference. They’re 2.5 games ahead of the mad scramble between seeds four and eight, and while you can point to their improved defense as a reason for their success, the Trail Blazers only go where Lillard guides them.

Lillard is averaging 26.6 points per game. That’s the fifth-best scoring average in the league this season, and no one in the top-five shoots better from both three-point range (36.8 percent) and the free-throw line (91 percent) than Lillard.

Only Harden and Davis have posted more 35-point games than Lillard this season. Harden is the beneficiary of one of the wildest offensive schemes in basketball history with a roster that fits the game plan to the tee. Davis is a one-man wrecking crew. Lillard is right there with them.

Only Lou Williams, LeBron James, Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, and DeMarcus Cousins average more fourth-quarter points than Lillard. Dame Dolla’s team has a better record this season than every one of those players, including James.

Lillard’s 20-point fourth quarter was incredible, but it’s nothing new. He also scored 19 fourth-quarter points in early March in a game against the Lakers with playoff implications.

He also lulled Brandon Ingram to sleep before hitting this dirty side-step game-winning three in overtime back in November:

And he hung 40 points on the Suns — yes, the Suns — before hitting a game-winning layup right after the all-star break:

Look, I get it. Your mind’s probably been made up for awhile now. James Harden is probably your first, second, third, and fourth pick for MVP with either Anthony Davis or LeBron James as your fifth pick. And rightfully so! Harden’s doing things no living, breathing human being should be capable of doing.

But so is Damian Lillard, and while he might not be the star on the team with the best record in the league, he’s most certainly the star of a Portland team that has shocked the world with their play this season. He might not be the runaway favorite for Most Valuable Player this season, but Lillard at the very least deserves your consideration.

And if you watch him play, like when he scored 41 grown-ass man points in a game with playoff implications against the Pelicans, you’d probably give him the consideration he deserves.