Lillard continues hot shooting in win over Thunder
There are few players in the league who are shooting the basketball better than Damian Lillard is right now.
Lillard followed up his 40-point outburst on Friday night with another terrific game Sunday, scoring 31 points in a 115-110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Damian Lillard scored 17 points in the final 3:06 as the @trailblazers beat the Thunder
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 11, 2016
The Portland Trail Blazers point guard was particularly lethal when the team needed him most, scoring 17 points in the game's finals three minutes.
Lillard has done most of his recent damage from beyond the arc - totaling 14 threes over his last two contests. To put things in perspective, Lillard hit almost as many 3-pointers (eight) as the entire Thunder team (10) on Sunday.
After losing four starters in the offseason, the Blazers needed Lillard to rise to a new level if they hoped to contend for a postseason spot. The Weber State alumnus has answered the bell so far, leading the Blazers in points per game (24.7), assists per game (6.9), and minutes per game (36.7).
The victory brings the Blazers to 16-24, as they sit just 2 1/2 games back of a playoff spot. If Lillard continues his hot stretch for an extended period of time, Portland should have a legitimate chance of chasing the eighth seed in the Western Conference.