For NBA fans of a certain age, Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in 2006 has stood as one of the more untouchable modern-day records. But the mark is looking more and more tangible lately, and may not stand for much longer at the rate that scoring is accelerating in the NBA.
With a ridiculous 71-point outing Sunday night, Blazers superstar Damian Lillard was the latest to make Kobe’s mark look attainable. The Portland floor general logged the most efficient game of 70 or more in NBA history, with a true shooting percentage of 80.4%. (This bested the mark that was set by the Cavalier’s Donovan Mitchell’s 78.9% true shooting percentage just last month with his 71-point night.) Making Lillard’s accomplishment even more impressive Sunday: He reached his total without even needing to play a full 40 minutes, making him the first player in league history to ever do that. He was lethal from everywhere, hitting 13 triples—one off the NBA record for a single game—and went 14-for-14 from the line to lift the shorthanded Blazers.
