NBA

Damian Lillard first player with 60+ points, 10+ 3-pointers in multiple games

Author photo
By
James Foglio
Author photo
James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

All posts by James Foglio
Sports Editor

Updated27 Feb 2023

Trail Blazers Damian Lillard first player in NBA history with 60+ points, 10+ 3-pointers in multiple games

Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers is the first player in NBA history to record at least 60 points and 10 3-pointers in multiple games in a single season. On Jan. 25, in Portland’s 134-124 victory against the Utah Jazz, the guard posted 60 points on 72.4% shooting from the field and 60% from 3-point range.

In Sunday night’s 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets, the seven-time All-Star scored a career-high 71 points in 40 minutes of action. Along with logging six rebounds and six assists, Lillard shot 22-of-38 (57.9%) from the floor and 13-of-22 (59.1%) beyond the arc.

Per a few NBA betting sites, Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers possess 25th-ranked odds to win the championship. Check out which sportsbooks are giving the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings greater odds to make the playoffs.

Damian Lillard was then administered a drug test after his incredible performance. He’s not fond of needles. “I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood draw, it’s different from tattoos. It brought me down from here to the floor,” the 11-year veteran commented.

“I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you’re hot, you’re in attack mode, you’re feeling good,” Lillard added. “But it’s the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?”

Damian Lillard is the first player in NBA history to record at least 60 points and 10 3-pointers in multiple games in a season

Lillard is now tied with Elgin Baylor (1960), David Robinson (1994), and Donovan Mitchell for the eighth-most points scored in a single game in NBA history. Of course, Wilt Chamberlain finished with 100 points and 25 boards in the Philadelphia Warriors’ 169-147 win over the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.

Additionally, the six-time All-NBA member has 15 career games with 50 or more points, the sixth-most in league history. Damian Lillard also dominated without teammates Jusuf Nurkic (left calf) and Anfernee Simons (right ankle). Including this win, Portland is 29-31 and ranks 11th in the Western Conference.

After Portland’s win, Mitchell tweeted this message: “My mom calls me and says @Dame–Lillard tied your record… you gotta get 72 now.” In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 145-134 victory versus the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 2, Mitchell recorded a career-high 71 points in 50 minutes played.

Through 47 starts this season, Damian Lillard is averaging career highs of 32.3 points and 9.7 field goals per game. Plus, he’s shooting a career-best 47.2% from the field and 38.1% outside the arc.

Furthermore, Lillard ranks sixth in player efficiency rating (27.4). Not to mention, he ranks second in offensive win shares (7.5). The Trail Blazers star is arguably the second-best guard in the league. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors remains No. 1.