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Best of the Season, Part IX: Dame’s time to drop 50 in less than 30

By Matt George Moore

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 9: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots a layup against the Sacramento Kings on February 9, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 9: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers shoots a layup against the Sacramento Kings on February 9, 2018 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. 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 Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CJ McCollum scored 50 points in less than 30 minutes against the Bulls. He was just the second player to accomplish that feat. Until nine days later.

In the last edition of our “Best of the Season” series, we documented the Portland Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum and his scintillating performance against the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 31. McCollum scored 50 points in that game in just 29 minutes and 16 seconds of court time.

That feat was historic.

And yet a few days later  — nine to be precise — that “didja know?” stat had to be revised.

Because Damian Lillard had just done the same thing.

To have two players from the same franchise accomplish something that only three players have ever done is interesting. For those two players to be teammates — even more so.

But to have them do the nearly impossible within a fortnight of each other?

Mind-boggling. And exceedingly rare.

Blazers-Kings

Like the Bulls, against whom McCollum did his 50-point damage, the Sacramento Kings are not very good.

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When they tipped off Feb. 9 at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center versus the Blazers, their record stood at 17-36. And, also like the Bulls, Sacramento’s defense was awful.

There was one other thing that set the stage for Lillard’s historic night: The fact that one night earlier against the Hornets (Feb. 8 at the Moda Center), he suffered through his third-worst shooting night of the season, hitting just 6/22 shots (27 percent), including 3/11 (also 27 percent) from three.

As Lillard himself said, a poor shooting night is often followed by one that’s much better.

"“Typically in my career every time I come off a bad shooting night, the way I shot (against Charlotte), I shoot the ball better. And tonight I think it was that mixed with a certain level or aggressiveness and urgency with us needing to win this game.”"

The Blazers were 30-25 when they met the Kings on Feb. 9. And they were just a few games away from reeling off an impressive 13-game winning streak. That streak would not only be one of the longest in franchise history but would help catapult them to the third seed in the Western Conference.

50 In Less Than 30

Lillard missed two of this first three field goals against Sacramento. And then he went ballistic.

Lillard scored 14 points in both the first and second quarters, plus another 22 points in the third. His final box score: 50 points on 16/26 shooting (61.5 percent), including 8/13 from three (also 61.5 percent). Additionally, he was 10/10 from the free throw line.

(Entertaining statistical sidenote that you may have noticed: In two straight games, Lillard shot the same percentage from both two- and three-point range.)

Ultimately, the Blazers beat the Kings 118-100, with Lillard scoring his 50 points in 29 minutes and 29 seconds — meaning CJ bested him in this 50-in-less-than-30 category by 13 seconds.

History

It was Lillard’s fourth 50-point game. No other Blazers player has more than two. (There have been 11 50-point games in franchise history.)

And, as reported by NBA.com, “The only other pair of teammates to each score 50 points in a game within a 10-day span were Boston’s Larry Bird and Kevin McHale in 1984-85, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. And Portland’s stars didn’t see any fourth quarter action. That’s 100 points in six quarters between them.”

Next: Potential draft picks for the Blazers at each position

Lillard making history not long after his teammate did the same thing is not only one of the defining moments of this latest Blazers’ season; it’s certainly one of the most memorable things to happen in the history of the franchise. And so it’s easy to add this game to our list of the best of the season.

Here are the highlights, in case you missed them the first time around: