Damian Lillard cannot be stopped some nights. Saturday was one of those. The Trail Blazers star scored a blistering 59 points, setting both a career and franchise high, and left the Moda Center smoking a little bit in his wake.
Damian Lillard lights up Jazz for 59 points in blistering shooting performance
Lillard set a new Blazers high.
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Lillard dropped 26 points in the first quarter, but he was still sitting at 26 points by halftime. Despite the scoreless second quarter, Lillard popped off for 33 more in the final 24 minutes to help lead red hot Portland past the Utah Jazz in a 101-86 win.
Here’s the deadeye, total confidence stepback three that pushed him over the 50-point mark.
And here are all 26 points scored in the first quarter.
Lillard’s final line: 59 points, 18-of-34 shooting, 9-of-14 on threes, six rebounds, five assists, a steal and plus-20 for the night. He shot 14-of-16 from the free throw line, while being the only Blazer to shoot free throws at all.
The 59-point game is the third highest we’ve had this season — Devin Booker reached 70 points a couple weeks ago, while Klay Thompson put up 60. Lillard had previously set his career high last season at 51 points. It also brings the total number of players with 50-point games this season up to 11, which is an NBA record.
Lillard’s second half surge has been instrumental to Portland’s postseason recovery, and this win should solidify their recovery of the No. 8 seed from Denver. The win puts them up by two in the win column, and the Nuggets would have to at least win two of their final three games.
Utah, with Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert, is also one of the league’s best defenses, making this even more impressive.
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