Longtime rivals Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson will attempt to convey their “A” video games to a showdown Tuesday evening when the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors hook up in San Francisco.
Lillard erupted for a career-high 71 factors — 10 greater than in any earlier sport — on Sunday evening in a 131-114 residence win over the Houston Rockets.
The Oakland native was remarkably correct from each distance on the court docket, going 22-for-38 general, 13-for-22 on 3-point makes an attempt and 14-for-14 from the free-throw line.
The 13 threes have been a profession greatest for Lillard and got here inside one of many NBA file set by Thompson in Chicago in 2018.
Thompson additionally took benefit of a go to from the Rockets to strategy the file final week, going 12-for-17 on 3-point makes an attempt in a 42-point evening on Friday.
Seeing the necessity to pump up his offensive sport with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins out of the lineup, Thompson adopted up Sunday with six extra 3-pointers and 32 factors in a 109-104 residence conquer the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“He’s a Hall of Famer,” first-year Warriors teammate Donte DiVincenzo mentioned after the Sunday win. “What he’s doing is not out of the ordinary. He’s been having a helluva career. Klay Thompson is still Klay Thompson at the end of the day. That rim is this big at all times.”
With every crew profitable Sunday, they remained separated by one loss within the tight Western Conference standings. The Warriors really helped the Trail Blazers in that they handed Minnesota its thirty second of the season on Sunday, yet one more than Portland’s complete.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr was extra involved about his crew’s standing — the Warriors entered the sport tied with Minnesota — after a victory during which the Warriors trailed by as many as 14 factors.
“That was a team win,” he mentioned after Golden State prevailed though Draymond Green additionally was lacking due to a bruised proper knee. “Everybody came in there and competed and played well. Just an enormous win. They’re all big, but I liked this one for the grit we had to show to get it done.”
Green may return on Tuesday. He had an MRI examination on Monday and was in a position to apply after it confirmed no harm.
Portland snapped a two-game shedding streak with the conquer Houston. The Trail Blazers have gone simply 10-12 in a stretch during which Lillard has averaged 38.7 factors, going for 30 or extra factors 17 instances.
He had 60 factors final month in a house sport in opposition to the Utah Jazz, which on the time was only one off his profession excessive of 61, set on Jan. 20, 2020, in opposition to the Warriors.
Lillard has scored 30 or extra in 4 of his final 5 visits to the San Francisco Bay Area, together with 34 in a 118-112 loss on Dec. 30. However, he has by no means been coming off a 71-point sport earlier than.
“I just thought it was a piece of art because he kept them off-balance,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups mentioned. “When they got overaggressive, he made them foul him. When they weren’t aggressive enough and they were scared of how quick he is to get to a basket, he got to the step-back. When they blitzed and trapped him, he hit the guy in the pocket and just kind of took it easy.
“It really, really was a masterful performance. It was a piece of art.”
