After a 10-point fourth quarter that was impressive in its own right, Damian Lillard scored 16 of his career-high 43 points in three overtime periods on Friday night, leading his Portland Trail Blazers to a 129-119 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.
The 24-year-old dealt the reigning champions their second triple-overtime defeat in three days and their fifth loss in seven games.
"Damian was unbelievable," Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters after the game. "He was unguardable. He just took it upon himself and single-handedly did us in. He was amazing."
If the numbers hadn't persuaded you already, just assess the damage Lillard did to the rim in double overtime. The heroics come a day after the Dallas Mavericks' acquisition of Rajon Rondo added another elite point guard to the Western Conference's title race. Taking full advantage of Tony Parker's third straight absence on account of a hamstring injury, Lillard firmly established his credentials as a one-man wrecking crew against the league's very best—a fact that hasn't been lost on observers who'd know.Just in case you'd forgotten about that whole thing where Lillard single-handedly ousted the Houston Rockets from last season's opening round with a buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 6, he'll have you know the killer instinct is alive and well.
Lillard got some help from LaMarcus Aldridge and his 32 points against San Antonio, but shooting guard Wes Matthews was just 5-of-19 from the field, and starting forward Nic Batum sat out after bruising his knee and wrist because of a traumatic fall against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.
If there were ever a time for Portland's star floor general to take over, this was it. He made seven of his 11 field-goal attempts in the overtime frames, appearing entirely unaffected by what ultimately amounted to 53 minutes of action.
Spurs backup point guard Cory Joseph is a better-than-advertised defender, but he never had a chance to stop the third-year veteran. Nor did San Antonio's team defense, not with Lillard's ability to cause absolute havoc off the dribble.
When Lillard finds his rhythm, mortal defenders don't have many options. He poured in 35 points, converting seven of 11 three-point attempts, against the Chicago Bulls in a 115-106 loss a week ago.
This time was different.The Trail Blazers outscored San Antonio by a 17-7 margin in the final overtime, scoring the period's first 11 points against a squad that was almost certainly running on fumes. Portland's youth was on full display, as was its apparent determination to show up the reigning champions for the second time this week.
Head coach Terry Stotts' club has now won four straight, building valuable momentum with games against the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Toronto Raptors still to come this month. Now 21-6 this season, the Trail Blazers are just two games behind the West's top-seeded Golden State Warriors.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2305798-damian-lillard-makes-monster-statement-in-3ot-thriller-and-friday-takeaways
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