Watch Damian Lillard’s Career-High 43 Points In Triple OT Win Versus Spurs

Damian Lillard didn’t look like a top-five point guard on Friday night – he simply looked like a top-five player. Watch the Portland Trail Blazers’ budding superstar lead his team to a 129-119 triple overtime win against the San Antonio Spurs with a career-high 43 points.

Chris Paul is a better game manager. Steph Curry’s a better shooter. John Wall is faster, and Russell Westbrook is more explosive. But is there a point guard in basketball who checks more boxes than Lillard?

His blend of skill, athleticism, and size might be unmatched at the position, a fact he put on full display while ripping San Antonio. Lillard has made major advancements to his game this season, too, showing enhanced defensive engagement, an improved ability to finish at the rim, and a growing sense of how to coax defenses into mistakes with pace and slights of hand.

No matter where he ranks on the point guard pantheon, Lillard is establishing himself as a legitimate franchise player for the Blazers. There’s been a sense since Portland’s breakout last season that this team had a ceiling unless it made one more move. Perhaps it’s just the continued evolution of Lillard instead?

It’s too early to tell, but performances like last night’s certainly lend credence to that possibility.

(Video via Dawk Ins)

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