Damian Lillard becomes first player in NBA history to score over 70 points in under 40 minutes in Portland Trail Blazers' win over Houston Rockets

By Alasdair Howorth, CNN

Updated 1028 GMT (1828 HKT) February 27, 2023

Damian Lillard scored an incredible 71 points for the Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

(CNN)Damian Lillard set an NBA record in his monster scoring night on Sunday, racking up 71 points in 39 minutes, including 13 three-pointers, as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 121-114.

With his effort, Lillard became the first player in NBA history to score more than 70 points in under 40 minutes and just the eighth player to hit the 70-point mark. He is also the only player on that elite list to score 70 over the age of 30, and the first to do so with 10 or more three-pointers.«I enjoy those moments in the game when I'm just going after people,» the NBA All-Star said after the game. «That's all it was tonight. I wanted to be in attack mode. I got it going and stayed aggressive.»Lillardcame into the game averaging 37.6 points in his previous 18 games and continued that stellar run with a league-wide, season-high mark, equaling Donovan Mitchell's 71 points against the Chicago Bulls in January.Read MoreLillard started the scoring early, with 41 points, including eight three-pointers at halftime. Whether driving into the paint or dropping shots from distance, the Blazers guard was unplayable. He made all 14 of his free throw attempts and had a magnetic relationship with the basket when shooting — even sinking a ludicrous, 36-foot jumper in the second quarter.He ended the game shooting 22-of-38 from the field, making 13 three-pointers from 22 attempts — just one off Klay Thompson's record 14 3-pointers set in 2018.Lillard's teammates continued looking for him in the closing minutes to try and get ahead of Mitchell's total, but after missing a couple of