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Damian Lillard made history on Sunday night against the Houston Rockets. Lillard scored 71 points to become just the eighth player ever to score 70 or more in an NBA game.
It was Lillard's best scoring game of his career, and he's had a few 60-point games since entering the league in 2012. He finished the game with 71 points, six rebounds and six assists, while shooting 22-for-38 from the field, including 13-for-22 from beyond the arc. He was also a perfect 14-for-14 from the charity stripe.
Lillard led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 131-114 win to improve their record to 29-31. The Blazers are now 11th in the Western Conference standings and just half a game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the 10th and final play-in tournament spot.
Damian Lillard's previous career high was 61 points, doing it twice in 2020 against the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. The 13 3-point shots made were also the best of his career and the second-most in NBA history behind Klay Thompson's record of 14.
Damian Lillard has scored 60 or more points five times in his career
Prior to his 71-point performance on Sunday night, Damian Lillard's career high was 61 points. He did it twice in the 2019-20 season against the Golden State Warriors on January 20 and against the Dallas Mavericks on August 11 inside the NBA bubble.
Lillard finished with 61 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the 129-124 win over the Warriors. His 61-point game against the Mavericks also came in a win and helped the Blazers make the playoffs that season.
The seven-time All-Star has two more 60-point games on his resume. He put up 60 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals last month in a 134-124 victory over the Utah Jazz. He also had 60 points on Nov. 18, 2019 against the Brooklyn Nets, but it resulted in a 119-115 defeat.
Lillard's career is somewhat different from his contemporaries. He has stayed loyal to the Trail Blazers despite not giving him a proper team to contend for a championship. He remains one of the best players to not have a ring and could end his career without one.
