Damian Lillard Astounds as Blazers Beat Spurs in Triple-Overtime

Friday, December 19, 2014

Andrew R Tonry, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Approaching the first photo-finish, Damian Lillard had scored Portland's last six points. Looking for his seventh and eighth, Lillard drove the lane and sprung up for a jam in the face of Tim Duncan. But Lillard's ferocious attempt hit back iron and bounced out.

The Spurs corralled the rebound, and with the final seconds ticking down, found Danny Green for three, his sixth of the game. The Blazers were down two with 5.7 seconds remaining.

From the out of bounds play, Lillard drove again, and this time, opting for a layup, he didn't miss, knotting the score at 97 with 1.4 seconds remaining.

Green again got the ball, but was swatted by Lillard, sending the contest into overtime.

Despite Lillard's heroics in regulation, the Spurs scored the first six points of overtime and it seemed as if the Blazers were done for.

Then Lillard did it again.

It was a broken play. The Blazers were down three, and Wesley Matthews put up an airball. Aldridge grabbed the miss, which found Lillard on the perimeter, and he drilled the three, tying the game at 104 with 13 seconds left. The Spurs missed.

They headed to double-overtime.

And again, the Spurs scored the first six points. The Blazers looked all but cooked before fighting back. Suddenly, somehow, the Blazers rattled off an 8-0 run and took the lead.

The Spurs knotted it again.

After a foul and a timeout, the Blazers inbounded the ball with 3.8 seconds left. Matthews missed a leaning three.

Triple-overtime.

This time, though, the Blazers jumped out in front, scoring the first eight points of the period.

Finally, Portland went on to win, 129-119. It was, without a doubt, the most exciting game of the year and an indelible performance, one that will no doubt burnish the growing legend of Damian Lillard.

To grades on a night light this--even with LaMarcus Aldridge's 32 points and 15 rebounds, or while the Blazers were playing without Robin Lopez and Nicolas Batum--would be a slight to Lillard, who scored the last eight points of regulation and 16 in the overtimes to finish with a career-high 43.

So, with that in mind, let's just leave it at this:

DAMIAN LILARD: A+