Seven-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard set a franchise record when he scored a career-high 71 points in the Portland Trail Blazers’ A 131-114 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, but the celebrations were cut short when he had to take a drug test immediately after the game.
The crowd at the Moda Center erupted in chants of «MVP» after the 32-year-old Lillard broke his own franchise record of 61 points and tied it. Donovan Mitchell for the most points in a game this season.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, center, is sprayed by teammates after setting franchise and career records with 71 points during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday February 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)
However, the celebrations would have to wait until Lillard, who is surprisingly afraid of needles, had to take a drug test with blood drawn, the first of his career.
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«Honestly, I was like ‘Are you serious?’ Lillard said about his reaction to the drug test.
«I did the urine test yesterday and they backed it up with the blood draw tonight after the game, actually that’s the first time in my career I’ve ever been tested after a game. And other than that, they know I have fear of needles».
Damian Lillard, #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers, drives against the Houston Rockets in the first quarter at the Moda Center on February 26, 2023 in Portland, Oregon. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
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«I know I have a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing the blood draw, it’s different than tattoos. But it brought me from up here,» Lillard said with a wave of her hand, «down to the ground. All the way until I was done And then once I was done, I was like, ‘Okay, I got it out of the way.
Lillard’s stellar night marked the eighth most points scored in a game in NBA history.
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«It really was a masterful performance,» Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said after the game. «It was a work of art. That was incredible.»
Associated Press contributed to this report.