NBA: Damian Lillard pours in 60 as Blazers top Jazz

PORTLAND – It is no easy feat for a player to score 60 points in a National Basketball Association (NBA) game, but for Damian Lillard it was no big deal – he was just doing his job.

On Wednesday night, the Portland Trail Blazers guard scored a season-high 60 points and moved into sixth place on the all-time three-pointers list while propelling his team to a 134-124 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz.

“I think any time you score 60 points it’s special, but I think this one I just felt like it came pretty simple,” Lillard said on ESPN.

“I thought I played the game as it should’ve been played.

“I knew we needed to win so I came out with a mentality to attack and be aggressive, but it wasn’t like I just came out on fire. It wasn’t one of those games.”

Lillard made nine of 15 three-point attempts to raise his career total to 2,292 treys, passing Vince Carter (2,290) with his eighth make of the contest.

It was also his second 50-point outing of the season and 14th overall in regular-season play.

The 32-year-old was 21-of-29 overall from the field while falling one point shy of his career high, which he set against the Golden State Warriors on Jan 20, 2020 and hit once more in August that year.

He reached 58 points with a layup with 2min 18sec left and sank two free throws to reach 60 with 1:37 remaining.

The guard then took aim at a career high, but his three-point attempt bounced off the rim with 29 seconds to go.

His 60 points tied Kobe Bryant’s final game on April 13, 2016, as the second most scored against the Jazz. George Gervin has the most with 63 for the San Antonio Spurs on April 9, 1978.

“That was incredible,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said of Lillard’s performance. “You don’t get to see that very often.”

Jerami Grant added 19 points, Anfernee Simons had 16 points and nine assists, and Jusuf Nurkic tallied 10 points for Portland, who won their second game in a row to improve to 23-25.

Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points, Collin Sexton added 19 and Jordan Clarkson had 18 for the Jazz (25-26), who are 3-3 in their past six games.

Talen Horton-Tucker and Jarred Vanderbilt had 12 points apiece, Rudy Gay scored 11 and Malik Beasley added 10.

Portland shot 57.3 per cent from the field, including 17-of-36 (47.2 per cent) from three-point range. Lillard also had eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

The Jazz were 20-of-41 (48.8 per cent) from behind the arc and shot 52.2 per cent overall.

Utah coach Will Harvey admitted his side could not handle Lillard even after double-teaming him. “I guess in theory we could have sent three people at him,” he joked.

Elsewhere, LeBron James amassed 20 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, Anthony Davis added 21 points and 12 rebounds in his return from a right foot injury, as the Los Angeles Lakers earned a 113-104 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs.

Rui Hachimura scored 12 points in his Lakers debut after he was acquired in a trade with the Washington Wizards on Monday.

James now has 38,230 career points, leaving him 157 away from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.

Davis played 26 minutes in just his sixth career game off the bench after missing the past 20 games. There were some shaky moments in the first quarter, including a free throw attempt he clanked off the backboard.

He said: “Even though I’ve been playing pick-up and things, you can control that pace. In real games, you can’t. They’re flying down the floor, you’ve got to sprint back or your team is running.”

In another game, Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points, Joel Embiid added 26 points and 10 rebounds as hosts Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 137-133. Embiid shot just six-of-18 from the field but hit all 13 of his free throws.

James Harden contributed 23 points, De’Anthony Melton had 19 points and three blocks and Tobias Harris chipped in with 18 points for the Sixers, who won their sixth game in a row. REUTERS