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Portland Trail Blazers: A closer look at the greatest stretch of Damian Lillard’s career

By Marlow Ferguson Jr.

PORTLAND, OREGON - DECEMBER 18: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on from the bench during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors during their game at Moda Center on December 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - DECEMBER 18: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on from the bench during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors during their game at Moda Center on December 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Damian Lillard
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Where does Lillard’s incredible run stack up among other great streaks?

The All-Star break will give us a chance to completely evaluate what we just witnessed. Some would argue that Lillard’s game left earth starting with the 61-point game on Martin Luther King Day against the Golden State Warriors.

I’d argue that it officially began Jan. 15 against the Houston Rockets — on a day in which Damian Lillard shot 8-of-20 from the field, and hit 1-of-8 from 3-point range. A day in which he created eight of the final 16 points in the fourth quarter, made Russell Westbrook a facilitator, and he, along with C.J. McCollum, Carmelo Anthony and Hassan Whiteside officially stepped up to a bully in the Western Conference, and decided, “We simply aren’t losing this game.”

Most at the time saw it as the biggest win of the season.

Regardless of where the start and endpoint lies to you, we were at least subjected to one of the great offensive firework displays in basketball history.

From January 15th to February 9th, Damian Lillard averaged 39.1 points, 9.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game on 50.3 percent from the field, 47.5 percent from 3-point range (on 12.3 attempts!) and 89.1 percent from the free throw line. Take away that aforementioned Rockets game, and you’ve got 40.3 points on nearly a 50-50-90 line.

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Along the way, Lillard gave us:

  • The most pure offense created over a six-game stretch — 293 points scored, 151 points assisted, and 444 points created in total — more than any player in league history. You’ve officially made it when you eclipse Wilt Chamberlain in anything.
  • The No. 3 most points scored over a six-game span, trailing only James Harden (296) and tying Kobe Bryant (293) over the last two decades.
  • 49 3-pointers over the six-game run, which is… spoiler alert: the most in NBA history, surpassing Stephen Curry’s 46 in January 2019.

That’s a lot of numbers. But what gets lost on observers is just how natural all of this is. Lillard has gone on record in discussing his approach to big-scoring games. To avoid the ball-stopping, selfish scorer tag, Lillard has said he’d often approach the game after doing the opposite — setting the table for teammates, defending — but with the Blazers short on personnel, and looking to emerge from the No. 8 gridlock, desperate times have called for desperate, entertaining measures.

Another aspect of Damian Lillard’s incredible run that’s gone unnoticed is the situational circumstances of the games he’s played. To list a few:

  • a 50-point, 13-assist barrage against the Indiana Pacers on the day of Kobe Bryant’s death (along with eight others), a day many called for NBA games to be canceled altogether
  • playing in the first game since that passing, an emotional night at STAPLES Center, in which Lillard put together 48 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.
  • a back-to-back against the Utah Jazz, in which the Blazers were down to just seven players.
  • consecutive 34-point games with an upper respiratory illness on a back-to-back against the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder.

https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1226944457314009089?s=20

20 years from now, is anyone going to remember that Lillard took the No. 4-seeded Jazz to the wire with seven players? Or that he’s on pace to crack 20 games this season with > 40 minutes played — sacrilege in the “load management era?” Or that he’s only been afforded rest just twice over 56 games?

My guess is a definitive “no.” But maybe we will remember how he changed the perception of shutting down a superstar. During a Feb. 6 win over the Spurs, Lillard poured in a 26-point, 10-assist outing. When asked if he thought San Antonio defended him well, former All-Star running mate LaMarcus Aldridge remarked, “Well, he didn’t get 50, so…”  If that doesn’t describe the give-and-take defenses are tasked with managing, nothing will.

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