Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard made NBA history with a barrage of scoring outburst to finish out the 2019-20 season, becoming the first player in league history to end the regular season with three straight 40-point games (51, 61, 42).
According to Justin Kubatko of StatMuse, his 154 points are also the most scored over the three final games of a season, a whopping 26 points more than the next-best mark that Dominique Wilkins tied 34 seasons ago. Michael Jordan (1986-87) and Kobe Bryant (2005-06) also reached 128 points in the last three games of their respective seasons.
⏰ Dame Time
✅ Produced 42 PTS and 12 AST in a must-win game.
✅ First player in NBA history to end a regular season with three straight 40-point games.
✅ Most points scored by a player over the final three games of a regular season (154, 26 more than the previous mark). pic.twitter.com/tsSbgMJnrF
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) August 14, 2020
Damian Lillard is breaking records left and right. During his short eight-game stint in the bubble, he had even bagged a 45-point night before his explosive three-game run got started.
This high-octane scoring assault eventually got the Blazers star to finish the season averaging a career-high 30 points per game, coupled with 4.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and shooting over 40% from deep for the first time in his career.
Damian Lillard finished this season averaging:
30.0 PPG (Blazers franchise record)
8.0 APG
46.3 FG%
40.1 3P%All career-highs. pic.twitter.com/CSecv1I4ZS
— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 14, 2020
Damian Lillard joined Stephen Curry as the only other player to shoot 40% from deep in such volume, as his Golden State Warriors brethren did it twice before.
Players who shot 40% from three on at least 10 three-point attempts per game in a season:
– Steph Curry (2x)
– Damian Lillard this season pic.twitter.com/jiPsMGW2If— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 14, 2020
Lillard averaged a whopping 51 points per game in his last three outings as well as nine assists, shooting 56% from the floor, 49% from deep, and an infallible 95% from the foul line.
In his eight games in the bubble, the Oakland native put up 38 points and 10 assists per game — undoubtedly a solid candidate for Bubble MVP and a no-brainer All-Bubble First Team selection.
Damian Lillard and the Blazers will now take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in games, needing only one win to qualify as the rightful eighth seed in the Western Conference.
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