Portland

Damian Lillard scored career-high 71 points and 13 3-pointers on Sunday night as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 131-114 and ended their two-game losing streak. 

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Lillard also set franchise records for points and three-pointers with his performance and became only the eight player in the history of National Basketball Association (NBA) to score 70 points or more. Lillard's previous franchise record for most points was 61, which he achieved twice.

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For this season, Dame tied with Cleveland Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell who also erupted for 71 points on January 2 against the Chicago Bulls. Lillard's 13 3-pointers in 22 attempts were also just one short of the NBA record, set by Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson in 2018. Apart from Lillard, Warriors' Steph Curry in 2016 and Bulls' Zac LaVine in 2019 drained 13 3-pointers in a game.

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Lillard was in red-hot form throughout the game as he scored 41 points and eight 3-pointers by the halftime, his another career-high and the highest points by any player till halftime this season. And with 44 seconds left on the clock, Dame equaled Donovan Mitchell, Elgin Baylor (1960) and David Robinson (1994) for the eighth most points scored in an NBA game.

Read More: NBA: Sacramento Kings beat Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in double overtime thriller

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NBA legend, Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for the most points in an NBA game when he scored 100 for Philadelphia against New York in Pennsylvania on March 2, 1962.

It was also Lillard's fifth 60-point game in his career, also the third most in NBA history, tying with Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant, who had 32 and six 60-point games in their career, respectively. This was also Dame's 15th 50-point game, sixth most in the league.

Apart from the points, Lillard also chipped in with six rebounds and six assists while going 22-of-38 while shooting and scoring on all of his 14 free throw attempts.

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