Damian Lillard had a historic night on Sunday, going off on the Houston Rockets, dropping 71 points.
In doing so, Dame joined a very exclusive club of four players (including him) that scored 70 or more points in a single game in the modern NBA.
Dame had a terrific game, and in the process joined the likes of Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell, three incredible offensive players that took off and never looked back, recording impressive performances.
On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant would live a historical moment when he dropped 81 points on the Toronto Raptors, which is a record that looks almost impossible to break. He was 19 points away from Wilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point game, but there’s no doubt that Kobe’s number was incredibly good.
Devin Booker was the second player to join this club in 2017 when he scored exactly 70 points for the Phoenix Suns. Ironically, they lost that game against the Boston Celtics, with Book having a bittersweet feeling after the match.
This NBA season, we’ve seen the two most recent 70-point games, which were started by Donovan Mitchell going crazy, and scoring 71 points against the Chicago Bulls at the start of this month. Mitchell even reacted to Lillard’s impressive game, revealing that his mother challenged him to beat Dame.
More recently, Damian Lillard demolished the Houston Rockets with a terrific performance, dropping 71 on them and getting a huge win for his Portland Trail Blazers.
Only 3 NBA Players Have Had 5 Or More 60-Point Games In History
Lillard not only joined the first club, but he also confirmed his status as a historical scorer, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant as the only three players with 5 or more 60-point games in NBA history. Dame reached a mark that not even Michael Jordan or LeBron James could reach, which makes it even more impressive.
The only players with 5 or more 60-point games all-time: pic.twitter.com/aldJRxF58U
— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 27, 2023
Before his 71-point outburst, the former Rookie of the Year dropped 60 points for the first time in his career in 2019 in a loss against the Brooklyn Nets.
One year later, he would record two of these games, dropping 61 points twice. First against the Golden State Warriors in January and then against the Dallas Mavericks in August, winning both games for his team.
The most recent precedent for the talented point guard arrived on January 25 when he dropped 60 on the Utah Jazz. That looked like a warning of what was coming, and Dame confirmed it on Sunday night, absolutely smashing the Rockets. It seemed like it would be a historical night when he recorded 41 points at halftime, and nothing changed for him after that.
It was a great game for Lillard, who keeps getting overlooked and underappreciated, but he’s definitely one of the top offensive talents in the NBA right now.
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