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Lillard scores career-high 51 points in blowout win over Warriors

Trail Blazers/Twitter

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard was a one-man wrecking crew at the Moda Center on Friday night, bringing the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors to their knees with the performance of his career.

In 31 minutes of action, Lillard dropped a career-high 51 points as the Trail Blazers cruised to a 137-105 win over Stephen Curry and Co.

The Weber State alumnus also dished out seven assists and stole the ball six times, becoming the first player in NBA history to finish with such numbers since steals became a credited stat in 1973-74.

He played like a man with something to prove, putting the Blazers on his back and lifting his squad to its ninth win in 10 games. Lillard's shooting was impressive as he converted 18-of-28 from the field, a stellar 9-of-12 from behind the arc, and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe.

The NBA's second-ranked defense was at the mercy of the 25-year-old, with the 137 total points allowed by the Warriors the most they've given up in two seasons. It was also the biggest loss by a reigning champ since the Miami Heat fell to the Chicago Bulls by 42 on opening night of the 2006-07 campaign, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

"It was a lot of fun of fun," Lillard said of the win after the game. "We've got to give a lot of credit to our defense. We deflected a lot of passes. We limited them to a lot of one-shot possessions, and we were able to get out and run and play great Blazers basketball. We had the ball moving, we were hitting threes, we were hitting guys on cuts, and that's fun basketball. It's fun to watch and it's fun to be a part of."

Portland improves to 28-27 on the season with its fourth win in a row. The Blazers will look to make it five Saturday when they host Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz.

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