The San Antonio Spurs played in one of the most entertaining games of the NBA season when they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in a wild three overtime contest on Wednesday night. Their prize? Going three more overtimes in their very next game on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard goes supernova in Portland’s triple OT victory over the Spurs
Lillard finished with 43 points, a new career-high. It was the way he did it that made it special.
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
This was merely a Very Good NBA Game until the end of the fourth quarter when Damian Lillard decided to make it a bonkers one. Lillard drove to the lane and found himself at a crossroads. Should he try a floater? A body contorting layup? A pull-up jumper? Nah, Damian Lillard decided to try dunking it:
It didn’t go in, but the play set the stage for a ridiculous triple overtime session where Lilliard was the star. When the damage finally cleared, Lillard had a new career high of 43 points and about five new ridiculous highlights to add to his personal reel.
Let’s go through them.
The Spurs led by six in the first overtime when Lillard cut into the deficit with a bucket on a drive to the basket. With time winding down and Portland still trailing by three, Lillard hit this clutch shot:
In double OT, the Blazers found themselves down six again. What did Damian Lillard do? Well, he did this:
That second overtime also featured huge three-pointers by Dorell Wright and Steve Blake off plays created by ... Damian Lillard.
During the third overtime, Portland finally decided enough was enough. This Lillard jumper put a stake in San Antonio:
Final line: 43 points, six assists, three rebounds and two steals on 16-of-29 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range. We guess LaMarcus Aldridge (32 points, 16 rebounds and five steals) was okay, too.
Oh, and the Spurs are the first team to play back-to-back triple overtime games since the 1951 Baltimore Bullets. They lost both.
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