“I should have had 90”: Damian Lillard was not satisfied after his historic 71 point night
Damian Lillard has had some impressive offensive performances this year, but one stands out above the rest. That being the eruption he had against the Houston Rockets in his first game after the All-Star break.
In 39 minutes of action, Damian Lillard scored an astonishing 71 points. It is tied for the most points in a game this year with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
What stands out most from this performance is how efficient Lillard was shooting-wise. He connected on 22 of his 38 field goal attempts and went 13-22 from beyond the arc. On top of that, the Portland Trail Blazers star went a perfect 14-14 from the free-throw line.
During a recent appearance on "The Old Man and The Three," Lillard talked about that game with former NBA player JJ Redick. Looking back on it now, he feels he should have gone for 90 points.
"I could have made six more threes, that's 18 points. I had three layups that got blocked at the rim, I had a couple shots at the end of the game where I was just tired. After the game I was like 'I really should have had 90 tonight.'"
That game against the Houston Rockets was the third time this year that Lillard went for 50 or more points.
Will we ever see another 100-point game?
Full episode with @Dame_Lillard, @jj_redick, and @talter is now live: youtu.be/3k7mAwrdcXA https://t.co/tIs8DEGWt2
Damian Lillard makes bold take on points in a game record
In basketball, there are many records that most agree will never be broken. One of them was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record, but that was recently beaten by LeBron James.
As far as untouchable records go, Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game is at the top of the list. Throughout history, no player has come close to topping this. Outside of Wilt, the most points a player has put up in a single night is Kobe Bryant's 81.
After feeling like he should have had 90 points, Damian Lillard has changed his mind on that record being broken. He also doubled down on it by picking two players he felt could do it. One of them being himself.
"When I really thought about it I was like, Steph Curry could definitley score 100 points. I could score 100."
As the greatest three-point shooter ever, Damian Lillard made a good choice for Steph Curry to possibly break the record. If he got hot from three one night, there is no telling how many points he could score if he tried hard enough.
At this point in his career, the most points Curry has scored in a game is 62.