Damian Lillard Scores 71 Points in Trail Blazers Win Over Rockets

When someone scores 71 points in an N.B.A. game, that’s remarkable, of course. Scoring 71 points is hard. Doing it against professional defenders is harder still.

But there have been so many high-scoring games in the league recently that Damian Lillard’s 71-point performance in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night wasn’t even the first of its kind this season.

Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell also scored 71 points in a game on Jan. 2, the same day Klay Thompson poured in 54 for Golden State. Luka Doncic has had games of 60, 51 and 50 this season. In all, there have been 21 games of 50 or more points this season.

“I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you’re hot, you’re in attack mode, you’re feeling good,” Lillard told reporters after Sunday’s game. “But it’s the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like: When I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/27/sports/basketball/damian-lillard-71-points-trailblazers.html