A 55-point performance from Damian Lillard went in vain as the Denver Nuggets held their nerve to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 147-140 in double overtime. Nikola Jokic was in his element too and nearly recorded a triple-double to help his side to a crucial 3-2 lead in this first-round series of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.The Denver Nuggets were hot from the three-point line to start the game and rushed to a 22-point lead midway through the second quarter. That's when Damian Lillard rose to the occasion and ignited a comeback. It was a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way, but Michael Malone's men eventually escaped with the win.Damian Lillard's historic performance not enough for Portland Trail BlazersEven though the Denver Nuggets emerged victorious, this game will primarily be remembered for Damian Lillard's heroics. Lillard scored 38 points in regulation, 32 of which came during the last 30 minutes. He then dropped 12 straight points for the Portland Trail Blazers in the first overtime period to force a second one. He had also accumulated 10 assists and three blocks along the way.Clutch triple after clutch triple in Dame Time...Damian Lillard pours in an #NBAPlayoffs record 12 threes en route to the first 55-point, 10-assist game in postseason history.17-24 FGM | 12-17 3PMGame 6: Thursday at 8pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/3jEroiaJUP— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2021Damian Lillard made a few more buckets, but the Denver Nuggets finally took care of business. Dame Dolla managed to reach a few milestones though. He broke the record for most three-pointers in a playoff game by dropping 12 treys. His 55 points also set a playoffs franchise-high record for the Portland Trail Blazers. Twitter showered plaudits on Lillard for his outstanding performance.I had like 4 tweets I wanted to write to describe this MASTERPIECE by Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr, but I am seriously at a loss for words...— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 2, 2021DOLLA!!!!!! Somebody tell my guy Malone, DAME CAN BEAT YOU!!!— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) June 2, 2021Not sure if the stars can align for it ... but put this down as one vote for a Dame-and-Steph Olympic backcourt.— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 2, 2021Dame Lillard trying to figure out how the #Blazers lost after he dropped 55 points and shot 70% from three... pic.twitter.com/KYFHVkqls9— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) June 2, 2021Someone gotta put this Dame Dolla performance in The Lourve! This is a masterpiece!— Damion Lee (@Dami0nLee) June 2, 2021@Dame_Lillard going super saiyan mode pic.twitter.com/eKn82IVHat— Thad Young (@yungsmoove21) June 2, 2021Too bad Covington missed a dunk and CJ stepped out of bounds before he drove. Denver hangs on for the home win to go up 3-2. No classic finish to an all-time playoff classic performance by Damian Lillard. Congrats, Dame, on the individual heroics.— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 2, 2021Damian Lillard is the first player in NBA history with 55+ points and 10+ assists in a playoff game.55 PTS10 AST12 3PTon 24 FGAHe is also the first player ever with 55+ points and 10+ threes in a playoff game. pic.twitter.com/5rSb7I6tx1— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 2, 2021.@Dame_Lillard that’s all I have to says— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) June 2, 2021Nikola Jokic masterminds a victory for the Denver Nuggets againNikola Jokic had help from his teammates tonight, but his 38 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists and four blocks went a long way in saving the day for the Denver Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. torched the Portland Trail Blazers from the field as he recorded 26 points and 12 rebounds on 76.9% shooting.Nikola Jokic drives with the ball against Jusuf NurkicThe most surprising performance came from Monte Morris, though. Morris racked up 28 points off the bench. He even sealed the deal for the Denver Nuggets from the charity stripe. Twitter had praise for Michael Malone's men for their performance against the Portland Trail Blazers.you gotta be kidding me with this pass by Jokic to MPJ pic.twitter.com/4yQRze4HqI— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) June 2, 2021The Nuggets lost a game where Damian Lillard was 1-for-10 for 10 points and won a game where Damian Lillard had 55 points on 24 shots.— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) June 2, 2021Nuggets-Blazers pic.twitter.com/PaMjLCkeZu— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) June 2, 2021Monte Morris vs Damian Lillard is not the battle I expected but it is so much fun to watch— Barstool ISU (@BarstoolISU) June 2, 2021Portland's game plan: Be physical, mess with MPJ.MPJ's answer: I'm taller than you.— Mike Singer (@msinger) June 2, 2021Nuggets are winning double overtime games without 2 of our top 5 players and our best perimeter defender....Jokic and the rest of this team got HEART— MVPJoker🃏 (@MVPJok) June 2, 2021The series will now move back to Oregon, where the Portland Trail Blazers will host the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday night.