On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard made history. Furthermore, he helped his team get by the Golden State Warriors 129-124 on a night the Warriors showed up to play hard.
Lillard scored 61 points, becoming the first player in NBA history to score 60 points while being 6 foot 2 or less. Of course, it was the second time Lillard has surpassed the milestone mark.
"I guess if somebody's going to beat my record, it's good to be me." – Damian Lillard
61 PTS (17-37 FG, 11-20 3PT)
10 REB, 7 AST, 2 TO
Career High PTS
Franchise high PTS
Most PTS in NBA this season
Most PTS ever on MLKDAY@Dame_Lillard | @trailblazers pic.twitter.com/D0icxjP84I
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 21, 2020
Following the game, Lillard had a decent quote in jest about his large scoring output.
“I guess if somebody’s going to beat my record, it’s good to be me.”
Still with Portland just 19-26 on the year, Lillard realizes it’s more about the win-loss record then it is any statistical barrage or huge scoring game.
“I’m excited about it, I’m happy about it, but I wish it counted for three wins instead of one.”
The Trail Blazers trailed in this game constantly, including at the half and were down by 12 at the end of the third quarter. Finally, Lillard’s lay-up and free throw conversion gave them their first lead with 2:26 to go in the game.
Simply, Lillard would not let his team be defeated at home on the historic day for basketball. Now, everyone will remember his performance on MLK Day 2020. It was definitely the stuff of legend.
