It was all Dame time Wednesday night in a critical Game 5 matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard posted one of the most impressive and arguably unforgettable playoff performances ever last night. The All-Star recorded 55 points and converted 12 shots from beyond the arc, an NBA playoff record. Despite his epic performance, Portland fell short in the double-overtime loss to Denver. Lillard played 52 minutes and shot 17-of-24 from the field, including 12-of-17 from long range. Not only did he hit a three at the end of regulation to force overtime, but he also nailed a deep three to force double overtime.
“It was the best playoff performance I’ve ever seen,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “He gave it his all.”
“Damian Lillard was superhuman tonight,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Lillard did not reflect on his performance but instead on the outcome of the game. “It doesn’t matter. We lost the game,” Lillard said. “At this point, all that matters is we can’t lose another game in the series. We go out there, and we play to win the game, and we came up short.”
Lillard’s offensive efforts helped keep the game close until the very end. Lillard showcased “Dame time” with an ice-cold step back three-pointer to send the game to overtime at the end of regulation.
Lillard then did it again with less than 10 seconds left in overtime, as he hit another three-pointer to tie the game and force double overtime.
“The degree of difficulty on which he hit some of those shots is godlike,” CJ McCollum said of Lillard. “To be able to create space and shoot from so far out contested time after time. It’s a shame we wasted one of the all-time performances by not being more supportive for him.”
“It was a pleasure to be on the court to witness that,” Nuggets star Nikola Jokic said of Lillard’s performance.
Despite Lillard’s great performance, the Blazers were unable to win the game, as Denver heavily guarded Lillard in double overtime to take a 147-140 win and a 3-2 series lead.
“It’s do or die now,” Lillard said after the loss. “Gotta win both of the next two games if we want our season to continue. It’s simple as that”
The Blazers tweeted about Lillard’s historic performance.
Now it’s do-or-die time for Portland as the series heads back to Portland for a must-win Game 6 on Thursday night.
