Not for the first time this season, an NBA player last night managed to turn the outcome of the game in which he and his team were playing into a marginal issue.
Damian Lillard, the star of the Portland Trail Blazers, scored 71 points in the victory over the Houston Rockets, and became the eighth player in the history of the league to score over 70 points in a game.
"My mom called me and said: Lillard tied your record... You have to get to 72 now," tweeted Donovan Mitchell.
The star of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also scored 71 points this season in his team's victory over Chicago, now stands together with Lillard in eighth place in the list of players who scored the most points in a game in the best league in the world.
Damian Lillard.
Approaching Kobe, photo: AP
The only player who managed to score more points in one game since the 2000s is Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points in a game for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns also reached the 70-point range, and there is no better time to embrace the great performances in the league in the last 20 years.
🏀
✚ 𝗨𝗨𝗘𝗚𝗢𝗦 de 𝟳𝟬 𝗣𝗧𝗦
en un partido #NBA
6 WILTON Norman CHAMBERLAIN
1 Kobe Bryant (81)
1 David Thompson (73)
1 Elgin Baylor (71)
1 David Robinson (71)
1 Donovan Mitchell (71)
1 Damian Lillard (71) ) ayer❗
1 Devin Booker (70)
y de 60+ PTS
(Ver Imagen) pic.twitter.com/9u2IG7avhV
— 𝗘⚼𝗨⨇𝗟𝗟𐰒ᕮԄ (@the__equalizzer) February 27, 2023
Kobe Bryant - 81 points against Toronto, January 22, 2006
In the Lakers' victory over Toronto, Kobe scored 81 points, becoming the second player to score the most in an NBA game after Wilt Chamberlain.
Bryant finished with 28/46 from the field, 7/13 from beyond the arc and 18/20 from the free throw in 41 minutes on the floor.
"Kobe had a performance on another level. I've seen a lot of great games, but I've never seen anything like tonight," said his coach Phil Jackson.
How dare you forget about Kobe Bryant!
I'm a lifelong #Blazers fan;
but I give credit where credit is due!
pic.twitter.com/JaD2W5rK3r
— Michael Frank (@YankeeMike015) February 27, 2023
65 points against Portland, 16.03.2007
Three-pointers were not the main weapon at the beginning of Kobe's career, but they were an aspect that he upgraded over the years and reached its peak in the game against Portland.
Kobe played 50 minutes and led to an overtime victory, scoring 33 points in the last quarter and overtime together, on his way to 65 in the entire game.
He finished with 8/12 for threes and 23/39 for 2 points.
Kobe Bryant.
Unforgettable shooting displays, photo: AP
Damian Lillard – 71 points against Houston, 27.02.2023
The Portland star spent 39 minutes on the floor, and these are his figures: 22/38 from the field, 13/22 from three and 14/14 from the free throw line.
6 rebounds and 6 assists will also be added to all of these.
"It was really, really, an artist's performance," said Portland coach Chauncey Billups, "it was a work of art, just amazing."
71 PTS, 13 3PM, 6 REB, 6 AST...
Damian Lillard, everyone 👏 pic.twitter.com/3bHwHXEonI
— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2023
Donovan Mitchell – 71 points against Chicago, 3.01.2023
Also this season, Donovan Mitchell from Cleveland went head-to-head with DeMar DeRozan from Chicago, scoring all 13 of his team's points in overtime and reaching 71 points.
He finished with 22/34 from the field, 7/15 from three, 20/25 from the free throw line, passing LeBron, who probably still holds almost all of Cleveland's records.
I'm going to sleep well tonight knowing that Donovan Mitchell (MVP) still has the best game this season.
71/8/11 > 71/6/6 pic.twitter.com/1MfdO92Qtk
— Donovan Mitchell MVP (@LeHov_) February 27, 2023
"We got to see today one of the greatest plays in the history of the game," said Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff at the end of the game against the Bulls.
Devin Booker – 70 points against Boston, 24.03.2017
During only his second season in the league, the Phoenix star scored 70 points in a loss to the Celtics and became the youngest player to score over 70 points in an NBA game.
In the second half Booker scored 51 points (out of his team's 77).
In total, the Suns scorer recorded 21/40 from the field, 4/11 for three and 24/26 from the penalty line.
Jogadores que superaram os 70 pontos em um jogo na Moderna Era da NBA:
✓ Kobe Bryant
✓ Devin Booker
✓ Donovan Mitchell
✓ Damian Lillard
Sendo que os 2 últimos o farimán na mesma temporada (2022-23).
pic.twitter.com/4tftwzZJ3t
— Basqueteiros (@basqueteirosnba) February 27, 2023
Booker talked about his display, which came in a bad season for Phoenix: "We were looking for something that we could celebrate. It's a strange situation, because we're all used to being winners our whole career, and suddenly a season like this comes."
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