Thanks in large part to the offensive production of Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers walked away from Monday night's game against the Indiana Pacers with a 106-98 victory. As part of the win, Lillard became just the second player in Blazers history to record 30 points and 15 assists in a single outing.
The great Clyde Drexler was the last player to achieve this feat for Portland (Mar. 14, 1986):
Damian Lillard is just the second player in @trailblazers history to record at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game. Clyde Drexler had 41 points and 15 assists on Mar. 14, 1986.
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) March 19, 2019
Lillard had his shot going early on Monday night. In fact, he had 18 points and eight assists by halftime. All in all, he logged 40 minutes, scoring 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field (4-of-9 from beyond the arc), 15 assists, two rebounds, three steals and one block. It was his ninth double-double of the season:
What. A. Performance. @dame_lillard posted the 2nd 30-point, 15-assist game in Blazers history tonight! @biofreeze pic.twitter.com/4RMmMW7Q5U
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 19, 2019
With CJ McCollum sidelined due to a left knee injury, Lillard knew he had to step his game up a bit more:
“I guess being a little more hands-on and managing what's going on out there, just knowing that a guy who averages 22 points isn't on the floor,” Lillard told ESPN, referring to McCollum. “It doesn't mean I have to score more points, or dominate the ball, but just making sure that I've got control over what's happening out there a little bit more.”
When asked what this accomplishment means to him, Lillard gave a humble reply:
“It's always an honor to be in elite company,” Lillard said during his postgame interview. “I always talk about wanting to go down as the best Blazer to play. Doing those things are a part of it. I’m just happy I was about to do those things in a win.”
"I always talk about wanting to go down as the best Blazer to play. I’m just happy I was about to do those things in a win." @dame_lillard talks to @brookeolzendam after his historic performance in tonight's @biofreeze Top Performance Review. pic.twitter.com/Tpw7vIJ50g
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 19, 2019
Lillard and the Blazers (43-27 and fourth in the Western Conference standings) will be back in action on Wednesday night, when they'll welcome the Dallas Mavericks to town. Tip-off inside the Moda Center is set for 10:00 p.m. ET.
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