With just a few days left in the regular season, every game matters more than ever, especially for teams fighting for a playoff spot. The Portland Trail Blazers have been battling the Denver Nuggets for the final postseason spot out West, and have been trying to withstand the loss of big man Jusuf Nurkic, who is out with a broken leg. Last night against Utah, the Blazers got an historic performance from Damian Lillard, who set a franchise record in helping the Blazers stay just ahead of the Nuggets in the race for eight, as Mike Richman writes in The Oregonian:
Damian Lillard didn’t score in the second quarter. And he still made history.
Lillard set the Blazers single-game scoring record in a lethal three quarters, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 101-86 win over Utah Jazz Saturday night at the Moda Center.
Lillard’s onslaught pushed the Blazers a step closer to the playoffs. Portland (39-40) has now won two straight games and needs just one more win in its final two regular season games to secure the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Lillard finished with a franchise-record 59 points, hitting 18 of 34 shots, including 9 of 14 three-pointers. He set the scoring mark on a step-back three-pointer over Shelvin Mack with 2:02 left in the game and came up just shy of a 60-point night when he missed 2 of 3 free throws in the final seconds.
He added six rebounds and five assists and didn’t commit a turnover in 42 minutes.
Lillard got the party started early, scoring 26 points in the first quarter, setting a career-high for baskets in a quarter with nine while tying his own franchise record for points in a quarter. He outscored the Jazz (20 points) on his own in the opening 12 minutes.
Then after a scoreless second quarter, he poured in 19 points in the third, helping the Blazers blow the game open, stretching a six-point halftime lead to 17 entering the fourth. He added 14 points in the fourth quarter, drilling three-pointers for his final three baskets to seal the victory.
He now holds the franchise record for most 30-point games in a season with 27 while passing Damon Stoudamire (54) for the highest scoring game franchise history and Brandon Roy (52) for most points scored at the Moda Center. Lillard is the only player in franchise history with three 50-point games.
