That’s one hell of a coincidence.
Damian Lillard told reporters he got drug tested by the NBA after dropping 71 points in a 131-114 win over the Rockets on Sunday night.
“Truthfully, I used to be like are y’all serious?” Lillard said. “I did the urine test [Saturday] and so they backed it up with the blood draw after the sport [Sunday]. That was actually the primary time in my profession [getting] tested after a game. Then other than that they know I’m petrified of needles. I do know I got a whole lot of tattoos, but while you’re doing a blood draw it’s different than tattoos.”
It put a damper on an otherwise flawless night for the 32-year-old Lillard, who made 22 of 38 shots overall and 13 of twenty-two from 3-point range against a hapless Rockets team that now sits at an NBA-worst 13-47.
Lillard, who also had six rebounds and 6 assists, tied Donovan Mitchell for probably the most points in a game this season and broke his own franchise record, which previously stood at 61 points.
“It brought me down from here to the ground, all the best way until it was done,” Lillard said as he raised his hand up within the air. “Once they finished it I used to be like, ‘alright, I got that out of the best way.’”
The Moda Center crowd serenaded Lillard with “MVP” chants within the fourth quarter and his teammates doused him with water after the monumental performance. Lillard had 41 points on the half and 50 as he entered the fourth quarter.
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“I believe any hooper enjoys those moments while you’re hot, you’re in attack mode, you’re feeling good,” Lillard said. “But it surely’s the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like once I walked off the court, was I alleged to be overly excited, or what?”
NBA stars across the league also celebrated Lillard’s greatness.
“My mom calls me and says @Dame_Lillard tied your record … you gotta get 72 now,” tweeted Mitchell, who scored 71 points for the Cavaliers in an time beyond regulation win over the Bulls on Jan. 2.
“Dame so great,” wrote Suns star Kevin Durant.
The historic performance pushed the Blazers to 29-31 within the tightly packed Western Conference. Only 4 games separate the fourth-seeded Suns from the Thunder, who’re thirteenth within the conference.
