DAMIAN LILLARD PRODUCED a record-breaking 55-point display but it was not enough to prevent the Portland Trail Blazers from slipping to a 147-140 double overtime defeat against the Denver Nuggets.
Blazers talisman Lillard once again lived up to his reputation as a clutch competitor, almost single-handedly dragging the Blazers into the contest with a string of crucial three-pointers.
The game five defeat leaves Denver 3-2 ahead in the best-of-seven playoff series, meaning Portland must win both of their remaining games to advance.
Lillard’s final points tally included 12 three-pointers, a record for the NBA playoffs and only two behind the all-time record of 14 in a game held by Klay Thompson.
The 30-year-old Portland star forced overtime with just 3.7 seconds remaining, draining a 27-footer to make it 121-121.
Lillard struck again at the end of overtime with a 26-foot three-pointer to make it 135-135.
Dame (55 PTS, 12 3PM, 10 AST) had a night for the ages đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/WWBX5GoXof
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 2, 2021
His final points of the night came with a 30-foot three-pointer that put Portland 140-138 ahead in double overtime, but a costly late blunder by C.J. McCollum, inadvertently stepping out of bounds, allowed Denver to snatch victory.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 38 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Monte Morris added 28 points. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 26 points.
Game six takes place in Portland on Thursday.
Elsewhere, Devin Booker scored 30 points as the Phoenix Suns left LeBron James and the depleted Los Angeles Lakers facing elimination with a crushing 115-85 victory.
Phoenix took full advantage of the injury absence of the Lakers’ Anthony Davis to dominate the defending NBA champions from early in the first quarter before romping to a comfortable win.
The Suns victory leaves Phoenix 3-2 ahead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first round series, meaning the Lakers must win in Los Angeles in game six on Thursday to keep their season alive.
Also on Tuesday night, James Harden scored a 34-point triple-double as the Brooklyn Nets advanced to a series against the Milwaukee Bucks with a 123-109 win over the Boston Celtics.
An impressive showing from Brooklyn’s “Big Three” saw Harden add 10 rebounds and 10 assists while Kyrie Irving (25 points) and Kevin Durant (24 points) also weighed in with big contributions as the Nets completed a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven series.Â
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