Damian Lillard erupts for 45 points, 11 3-pointers in win over Nuggets

With one 3-pointer on Thursday, Damian Lillard matched his own Portland Trail Blazers franchise record for 3-pointers in a season.

Turns out he was only getting started.

Facing a shorthanded Denver Nuggets team, Lillard scored at will on his way to a 125-115 win. Lillard posted 45 points on 13-of-21 shooting with 12 assists, four rebounds and three steals. He was 11-for-18 from 3-point range, tying a career-high.

2018 second-round pick Gary Trent Jr. also chipped in 27 points off the bench while Jusuf Nurkic and C.J. McCollum reached double-digit scoring, but make no mistake. It was the Dame show:

Lillard has now made 247 3-pointers for the season, furthering his dominance in the Blazers record books despite losing eight games to the coronavirus hiatus. Just take a gander at what the Blazers’ all-time leaderboard for a 3-pointers in a season looks like now:

1. Damian Lillard (2018-19): 237

2. Damian Lillard (2019-20): 236

3. Damian Lillard (2015-16): 229

4. Damian Lillard (2017-18): 227

5. Damian Lillard (2013-14): 218

6. Damian Lillard (2016-17): 214

7. Wesley Matthews (2013-14): 201

Pretty good!

Thursday’s win was enormous for the 32-38 Blazers, who currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference standings. The team is now a half-game back from the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies, who have landed with a thud in the bubble with an 0-4 start and just lost star Jaren Jackson Jr. Four other teams — the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans — lurk less than two games back from the Blazers.

Lillard’s eruption gave the Blazers some much-needed breathing room from the pack. We’ll see how much further he’ll take the team as the NBA play-in series looms.

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