While the Phoenix Suns prepare for the return of Kevin Durant, perhaps he can draw some inspiration from another NBA great in Damian Lillard.
Lillard put on quite a show during his career-high 71-point outing in a Portland Trail Blazers win over the Houston Rockets Sunday night.
The scoring output was also a Trail Blazers franchise record. He also tied a season-high along with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who recorded 71 points back on Jan. 2.
According to CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn, “By true shooting percentage, Lillard just had the most efficient game with at least 71 total points in NBA history. He shot 22-of-38 from the field, 13-of-22 from 3-point range and 14-of-14 from the free-throw line for a true shooting percentage of 80.4 percent. The previous record in a 71-point game was 78.9 percent.”
Durant took notice.
Another NBA great in LeBron James reacted to the special scoring night too:
Durant’s new teammate in Devin Booker previously dropped 70 points back in 2017.
According to StatMuse, Durant’s career-high is 55 points, which was done last season with the Brooklyn Nets. In total, Durant has nine total games of 50+ points: Four with Oklahoma City, three with Brooklyn and two with Golden State.
The hope here in Phoenix is Durant can eventually add to that total. Durant hasn’t played since Jan. 8 with a sprained MCL but is potentially set to make his return on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Suns are coming off a tough loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. They’re 33-29 on the season with just 20 games to get Durant acclimated to his new team before the postseason begins.
Source: yardbarker.com
