NBA Sunday Hoops have been a blessing to us today. From watching a re-match of the 2021 NBA Finals between the Suns and the Bucks to watching LeBron James and co. come back from a 27-point deficit against Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. From watching Klay Thompson lead the Warriors to Trae Young’s buzzer-beater to win over the Nets. However, nothing compares to the show Damian Lillard just put on.
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Dame Dolla just went GOD mode as the Blazers hosted the Rockets in a must-win contest. He had 41 points at the half and finished the game with 71 points. This equals Donovan Mitchell’s 71 points from earlier this season as the 8th-highest individual score in NBA History.
Damian Lillard WENT NUCLEAR tonight 🔥
71 points (career high, franchise record)
6 rebounds
6 assists22-of-38 FG
13-of-22 3PT
14-of-14 FTHe is the 8th player in NBA history to score 70+ points in a game. pic.twitter.com/dkj2MhOiov
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 27, 2023
Seeing how well he played, NBA stars showed up with their praise for Dame.
LeBron James and other stars praise Damian Lillard
We witnessed a historical performance from Damian Lillard tonight. He had already been performing at a high level over the course of the past few games.
Dame over his last 12:
71 PTS – 6 REB – 6 AST
39 PTS – 10 REB – 6 AST
40 PTS – 6 REB – 5 AST
38 PTS – 2 REB – 9 AST
33 PTS – 10 REB – 11 AST
28 PTS – 4 REB – 5 AST
40 PTS – 5 REB – 5 AST
29 PTS – 3 REB – 6 AST
42 PTS – 8 REB – 10 AST
42 PTS – 2 REB – 6 AST
30 PTS – 4 REB – 3… https://t.co/RV9uicrjEg pic.twitter.com/KRYAsZTMUP— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) February 27, 2023
However, tonight he took it up a whole notch.
With Dame showing up like that, NBA superstars were sure to show up to react.
LeBron James was among the first to react, putting this tweet out.
⌚️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 27, 2023
Donovan Mitchell, who scored 71 earlier this season, had his own way of acknowledging Dame’s record-breaking performance.
My mom calls me and says @Dame_Lillard tied your record… you gotta get 72 now😂😂😂
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) February 27, 2023
Anfernee Simons didn’t take long to put out praise for his mentor.
— Anfernee Simons (@AnferneeSimons) February 27, 2023
Kendrick Perkins showed up with his own brand of praise.
That 71 piece wing dinner Spicy “All Drumsticks” that Dame Dolla dropped tonight with the W was beyond SPECIAL!!!! Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) February 27, 2023
Shaquille O’Neal took to his Instagram stories.
Game recognizes Game🤝@SHAQ put up a story for Damian Lillard’s 71-point night pic.twitter.com/sCDv1w74EM
— Raahib Singh (@raahibs) February 27, 2023
However, Kobe Bryant had called it all too long ago.
“That boy’s serious. And he’s not afraid of anything”
– Kobe Bryant on Damian Lillard pic.twitter.com/98zXBKmuBu
— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) February 27, 2023
NBA Twitter reacts to Dame’s performance
While the stars were out praising Dame Dolla, the fans weren’t too far away.
kevin durant is all of us watching damian lillard pic.twitter.com/q0JHgM040i
— Molly Morrison (@mollyhannahm) February 27, 2023
— Zul’Arshil Majeed (@dijamtheengine) February 27, 2023
Give Dame his respect..
— Darious Williams (@Dee_Willl2) February 27, 2023
⌚️⌚️⌚️ pic.twitter.com/o3SvdP4tc3
— FanDuel Canada (@FanDuelCanada) February 27, 2023
Spida Mitch rn: pic.twitter.com/HodPK7ypW6
— Pascal Connoisseur (@deckkkard) February 27, 2023
Knowing Dame, he’d care more about making the playoffs than his work tonight. However, he should still take a step back and appreciate what he accomplished tonight.
