MVP of the night | The Iron Lady

After his team’s (new) bad passing, 8 losses in their last 10 games, including a real upset at home against the Lakers, Damian Lillard could once again hear the eternal refrain that has followed him for several years: The Blazers are wasting their superstar talent by not surrounding him with enough talent.

By Pat Beverley The Rip City boss, who was in the room against the Lakers, heard those complaints, rolled up his sleeves and took matters into his own hands. After his 37-point game against San Antonio to regain the lead against San Antonio, Damian Lillard got even stronger last night against the Jazz, scoring just 60 for his second-highest offensive performance of the season.

But even more so, Damian Lillard scored 60 points while attempting fewer than 30 shots, joining James Harden and Karl Malone as the only players to achieve that statistical feat.

A performance that allowed him to become the 69th leading scorer in NBA history as he passed Zach Randolph’s 18,578 points. Let’s also note that he used the opportunity to move up to the 6th place in the ranking of the most productive 3-point shooters, and he surpassed Vince Carter.

“This time it seemed very simple to me”

“Every time I score 60 points it’s going to be special, but I have to say this time it looked pretty simple to me.”told the Portland Star in the postgame conference call. “I just played the game the right way. I was aggressive because I know you need wins now, but I didn’t burn out. I didn’t necessarily try to score so many goals, it just happened naturally. I took what they gave me and made the right choices, attacking when I needed to or shooting when I was given space. I say it was pretty simple, I wouldn’t say easy because they have big guys in the paint and long-armed defenders, but simple because I played my game and they weren’t personally targeted defensively, except at the end. of the game. »

It’s the fourth time in his career that Damian Lillard has reached the iconic 60-point mark, which ties him with Michael Jordan (four times in the regular season, plus once in the playoffs) and James Harden. Wilt Chamberlain (32) and Kobe Bryant (6).

Damian Lillard’s career, already littered with memorable moments on the same boards, took a new turn last night when he got close to an extracorporeal experience in the third quarter as he took control of operations. It won’t soon be forgotten in Rip City.

It started with two layups and a shot, then a 3-pointer, then a second from long range, then a power penetration, then another 3-pointer from even further away. The offensive recital synonymous with 20 straight points to orbit the Blazers 102-86 is just out of reach for the Jazz to cruise to their second straight victory.

The momentum is sure to continue as they host the Raptors this Saturday!