You got to feel for Damian Lillard after the Portland Trail Blazers suffered a 128-109 blowout road loss Monday to the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their 2021 NBA Playoffs series.

Lillard went off — again — in this game, finishing with 42 points on 11-of-24 shooting from the floor with nine threes (eight in the first half) on 16 attempts, 10 assists, and nine rebounds, but that monster stat line was not enough to pull the Blazers to a win. Moreover,  Lillard's brilliant performance ended up as among the latest additions to the list of mind-blowing numbers in the playoffs gone to waste.

As a matter of fact, Lillard pulled off something that had never been seen in a loss in the playoffs before, per Stats By STATS.

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“Damian Lillard had 42 points and 10 assists for the Trail Blazers tonight, but they lost by 19. This is the first time in NBA history a player had 40+ points and 10+ assists in a playoff game and yet lost by 15 or more.”

Even before the series started, it was clear that the Blazers' chances of knocking off the Nuggets in the first round greatly lie on the shoulders of Lillard. In Game 1, Lillard torched Denver with 34 points and 13 assists in a 123-109 win. However, get got plenty of help from his teammates, particularly from the bench, with Carmelo Anthony and Anfernee Simon combining for 32 points. In Game 2, those same players had a total of just eight points.

The Blazers at least are going home for Game 3 with the series tied. Playing in an atmosphere he's more familiar with, Lillard could be on his way to another offensive explosion.