There’s Dame Time, and then there’s Dame Time in bold and italics.
This was the latter.
Portland superstar Damian Lillard put up 41 points in the opening half against Houston on Monday (AEDT) and finished with 71, stunning the NBA world.
Watch an average of 9 LIVE NBA Regular Season games per week on ESPN on Kayo Sports on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
He became the seventh player in NBA history to score 70-plus points, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, Donovan Mitchell and Elgin Baylor.
Mitchell scored exactly 71 points as well for the Cavaliers earlier this year.
Lillard went 13 of 19 shooting in the first half with eight threes, matching the highest halftime score of any player since Kobe Bryant’s 42 on March 28, 2003.
He finished going 22 of 38 shooting including 13 of 22 from three-point range and 14 of 14 on free throws, plus six rebounds and six assists.
It was the most scored by any Trail Blazer in a game, and the most points given up to one player by Houston ever.
“Best player in the NBA right now,” one of the commentators proclaimed.
No other player in the game scored more than 17 points.
Portland won 131-114.