Damian Lillard Continues To Prove Elite Scorer Status With 71-Point Outing Against Rockets

Damian Lillard has been blessing basketball fans around the world with showcases of his offensive talent, but his 71 points against the Houston Rockets is his best yet.

It is no secret that Lillard has the capacity to explode for 40 points every single time he takes the floor, but scoring 71 points, a career and franchise high, on 22-of-38 from the field and 13-of-22 (a career-high) from beyond the three-point line plus a perfect 14-of-14 outing from the free throw line is purely a thing of beauty.

"Dame Time" already had 41 points in the first half after shooting at a blistering 68.4 percent from the field (13-of-19) as the Rockets' defense simply could not contain him despite their best efforts.

Whether he had a hand in his face or not, Lillard made difficult shots look extremely easy.

Lillard has been one of the most respected scorers in league history, but the moment that he started shooting from what basketball fans now call "Lillard range," any shot beyond 28 feet, cemented that status.

Against the Rockets, Lillard made six of his 10 attempts from that far out with his farthest make in this game being a 36-foot pull-up jumper late in the second quarter.

While it would be easy to discredit this outing from Lillard due to it happening against the Rockets, he has been doing this for the better part of his 10-year career and the NBA's official YouTube channel has recognized his otherworldly shooting talent.

In the eyes of many, Lillard walking down Paul George in the 2019 playoffs for a step-back pull-up to clinch the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder was his best work yet as it also logged him in the Blazers' record books for the most points in a playoff game (50) and three-pointers made (10).

Most recently in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, "Dame Time" was again responsible for the farthest shot in the game with a 48-foot make in the third quarter.

This outburst from Lillard puts him in a tie with Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell for the most points scored in a single game this season and another tie with Luka Doncic for a 60-point performance.

Lillard has now had five 60-plus point games in NBA history which is good for third, putting him just one game behind Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant for second and 27 away from Wilt Chamberlain's nigh-untouchable 32.

The Portland Trail Blazers are now a half-game behind the New Orleans Pelicans for a play-in seed and are two games behind the Dallas Mavericks for an outright playoff berth in the Western Conference.

Lillard has made the art of shooting deep threes an integral part of his arsenal, and it would not be that surprising to see him drop another monstrous outing later this season.