With his series-ending buzz to eliminate the Houston Rockets in the playoffs in 2014 and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs in 2019, Damian Lillard has not only established himself as one of the most advanced shooters in the league, but also a pretty high standard for what’s a great shot.
His effort Saturday night certainly qualified, as he hit one of the wildest game winners you would ever see lifting the Portland Trail Blazers over the Chicago Bulls, 123-122. Let’s see how it happened.
With just over 11 seconds left, the Bulls’ point guard Coby White struck out two free kicks to represent the Bulls with five and apparently seal the game. Only Lillard came out of the timeout and immediately hit a 3 of almost 40 feet to make it a two-point game.
With the ensuing inbound traffic, the Blazers trapped Zach LaVine in the corner and were able to force a bounce ball before he could name the timeout. The Blazers then won the spring ball, and after a short scramble around the ball, Lillard got away with it and struck a fadeaway for the win.
Unreal. This look from Garrett Temple tells you everything you need to know about how the Bulls felt after that one.
Lillard finished with a season-high 44 points, five rebounds and nine assists in the win. According to ESPN Stats and Info, this was his third buzz, which is the most in franchise history. It is also his 35th game with at least 40 points. No other player in Blazers history has half as much.
This win ended a two-game mini-losing game for the Blazers and improved their record this season to 10-8. It was a tough thing in Portland with CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins all having long-term injuries, but so far they have hung there. As it stands now, they are only half a game out of fourth place this strange season, and Lillard has once again shown that they always have a chance as long as he is in the area.