Damian Lillard set the NBA playoffs record for most 3-pointers in a game with 12 makes. Kevin Durant, like the rest of us, was awed by his brilliance.
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As a basketball fan for over a decade now, I’ve experienced several highs and lows from the game. Its what I love the game for, and its the same reason that unites all of us as fans. And Damian Lillard embodied the ultimate warriors’ spirit as well as anybody in any performance as I’ve seen in my lifetime.
Perhaps we might call it recency bias if we look back at this in the future. But for me, Lillard put in the greatest playoffs performance of my lifetime. Kevin Durant seems to be thinking on similar lines as many of us as I write this.
The Brooklyn Nets have recently gained a place in a second round matchup against Giannis’s Bucks. They finished their game off during the early second half of this game. By that point, the Blazers had battled back from a 22-point hole early in the 2nd quarter.
We’ve all seen many Dame outbursts, but this was all of that sewed together in the most trying of circumstances. Lillard put the Blazers back in the game on his own on at least 3 separate runs. KD couldn’t believe what he saw. This is how his Twitter thread looks.
What records did Damian Lillard set tonight?
Dame Dolla broke Klay Thompson’s record of 11 3-pointers in a playoff game. Klay had set this record in his own playoff masterpiece against the OKC Thunder in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals.
Lillard is also the first player in league history to score 55+ points and record 10+ assists in a playoff game. So as I suspected, this performance is also a statistical record that stands on its own.
Lillard’s total of 55 points is the second highest score by an opponent against the Blazers. It’s also the 3rd-highest point total in a loss by a player. This puts him in the company of Michael Jordan and Donovan Mitchell.
