After exploding for 51 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, Damian Lillard doubled-down in his next game with another scorching performance.
In a matchup with Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, the Oakland native matched his career-high with 61 points on 17-of-32 shooting from the field in Portland’s 134-131 victory. Along with hitting all 18 of his free throw attempts, Lillard buried nine 3-pointers from beyond the arc.
To rookie Eric Paschall, the Portland point guard’s performance looked familiar.
In January, Lillard torched the Golden State Warriors for 61 points on 17-of-37 shooting from the field with 11 long-distance 3-pointers. Lillard added 10 rebounds and seven assists in Portland’s 129-124 overtime win.
Lillard became only the third player in NBA history to register 60 or more points against the Golden State Warriors.
After Lillard’s night in the Orlando Bubble against the Mavericks, Paschall chimed in on Twitter to call the Weber State product “different!” The Warriors rookie added a laugh about his experience against Lillard in the past.
Via @epaschall on Twitter:
Dame different! I experienced how that 61 feel before! 😂
— Eric Paschall (@epaschall) August 12, 2020
Watch highlights from Lillard’s epic performance against the Mavs via YouTube:
Lillard will be back on the court against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday for Portland’s final contest of the seeding round. The five-time All-Star will need to pull out another colossal performance as the Blazers push for a cemented spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.
