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Damian Lillard was scorching hot in the Portland Trail Blazers' 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Lillard exploded for 71 points to become the eighth player in NBA history to score 70 or more points in a single game.
Lillard went 22-for 38 from the field, including 13-22 from beyond the arc. The 71 points and 13 3-pointers made were career highs. He also became the fourth player to hit 13 or more 3-point shots in a game and to have at least 70 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The 32-year-old superstar was brilliant in the first half, scoring 41 points on 19 shots. The win puts Portland half a game ahead of the LA Lakers in the Western Conference standings and just half a game behind the final play-in spots.
Fans on Twitter went crazy for Damian Lillard's historic night. It came just over a month after Donovan Mitchell's 71-point performance. For the first time in NBA history, there were two 70-point games in one season.
Here are some of the best reactions to Lillard's career night:
Damian Lillard becomes 8th player in NBA history to score 70 or more points
As mentioned earlier, Damian Lillard was the second player to score 70 or more points this season. He's just the fourth player ever to have had at least 70 points, five rebounds and five assists. He's also the fourth player to hit 13 or more 3-point shots in an NBA game.
Lillard is also the eighth player in NBA history to achieve the feat. Wilt Chamberlain still owns the record for the most points scored in a game with 100. Chamberlain also has the record for the most 70-point games in league history with six.
Kobe Bryant came closest to Wilt's scoring record with his 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. Other Hall of Famers with 70-point games include David Thompson, Elgin Baylor and David Robinson.
In addition to Lillard, two more current players are members of the 70-point club — Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns. Mitchell scored 71 points just last month in an overtime win against the Chicago Bulls. Booker put up 70 points on March 24, 2017 in a loss to the Boston Celtics.
