27 February 2023 , 14:26
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It was a record-breaking night for Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, as he netted 71 points in a stunning 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets.
Lillard became the first NBA player of all-time to net over 70 points in under 40 minutes, and just the eight player ever to do so. He's also the only player over the age of 30 to join the elite group, and did so with 13 three-pointers on the night.
The 32-year-old said his performance was down to his "attack mode" on the night, with Lillard keen to be as aggressive as possible between now and the end of the season. Lillard has high ambitions, but is aware that they need a winning second half of the season to have any chance of making the play-offs.
"We've got 23, 22 games left after this, we need to win as many games as possible," Lillard said after Sunday's win. Obviously being short-handed, I know it's going to be a team effort.
"But I feel like I gotta do my best to be aggressive and just try to do what I can to make sure that we get some wins. I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people.
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"That’s all it was tonight. I wanted to be in attack mode. I got it going and stayed aggressive." While Lillard remained focused, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups couldn't help but hype up his star man after the game.
Lillard produced a "masterful performance""It was a masterful performance - a piece of art," said Billups. "We don't get the chance to experience things like this a lot, and I've been around the league a long, long time - 71 points, that's just incredible.
"Having 41 points at half-time was insane, and then he came out in the second half and in the third quarter he just made every right play." It's the fifth time that Lillard has scored more than 60 points in a game, with only Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain hitting those heights on more occasions.
The Trail Blazers are now 29-31 for the season, and sit just outside of the play-off places in the Western Conference. They'll need a prolific second half of the season to book their place, but Lillard is clearly willing to put the team on his back and drag them there.