Watch: Damian Lillard torches Rockets in historic performance

The Blazers’ star feasted against the NBA’s worst team in Portland on Sunday night.

Feb. 26, 2023Updated: Feb. 26, 2023 11:03 p.m.

Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets at the Moda Center on February 26, 2023 in Portland, Oregon.  (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Alika Jenner/Getty Images

Damian Lillard once ended the Houston Rockets season as they worked to become contenders in the Western Conference. On Sunday night, he buried a Rockets team trying to find its footing amid one of the worst seasons in franchise history. 

The Portland Trail Blazers point guard and seven-time All-Star tallied a career-high 71 points in Sunday’s 131-114 win over the Rockets, a night in which he drained 13 threes and shot 22-38 from the field. Lillard erupted for 41 points in the first half—the second-most of any player in the last 25 seasons—torching the Rockets from all areas of the floor.  The Rockets appeared adverse to sending a trap Lillard’s way for much of the first half, and he punctuated the dominant opening 24 minutes with a 36-foot triple. 

The Rockets were able to slow Lillard down to a degree in the third quarter, but he found a similar rhythm in the final frame as he added 21 points to thunderous applause from the Moda Center crowd.

Lillard is now one the eight players in NBA history to score at least 71 points in a game, and he is just the third player this century to do so (joining Kobe Bryant and Donovan Mitchell). Lillard is also now one of six players with 15 career games with at least 50 points, a club that includes former Rockets’ star James Harden. Lillard’s three-point proficiency even creates a statistical club all to himself, as he is the only player to have 60 points and 10 threes in a single game. 

Lillard’s historic outing handed the Rockets their ninth consecutive loss, as the NBA’s worst team fell to 13–47 on the season. Head coach Stephen Silas’ squad will look to return to the win column for the first time since Feb. 1 on Tuesday as the Rockets host Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. 

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Rockets, Astros and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.