‘Was I supposed to be excited?’: Humble Lillard drops Portland record 71 points

The celebration surrounding Damian Lillard’s record-breaking performance was short-lived.

Lillard set franchise and career marks with 71 points – tied for the most in the NBA this season – and 13 three-pointers in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 131 -114 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

“I enjoy those moments in the game when I’m just going after people,” Lillard said, “when I’m in attack mode.”

New franchise-record 64 points and 12 3-pointers... only D.O.L.L.A.#RipCity pic.twitter.com/6ke5Sc7RmE

But soon after the streamers fell to the court and the crowd headed for the exits, Lillard was summoned for a drug test. To make matters worse, the seven-time All-Star who is unafraid of taking a three-pointer from half court is afraid of needles.

“I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood draw, it’s different from tattoos. It brought me down from here to the floor,” Lillard said gesturing with his hand raised then dropping it.

Lillard’s 13 three-pointers were one shy of the NBA record set by Golden State’s Klay Thompson in 2018. Thompson’s Warriors teammate Stephen Curry (2016) and Chicago’s Zach LaVine (2019) have also made 13 threes in a single game.

Lillard broke his own Portland record of 61 points.

Known for his humility, Lillard was unsure how to mark the occasion.

“I think any hooper enjoys those moments when you’re hot, you’re in attack mode, you’re feeling good,” Lillard said. “But it’s the stuff afterward that I struggle with, like when I walked off the court, was I supposed to be overly excited, or what?”

In the final minutes of the game, the crowd at the Moda Center was on its feet, phones recording the moment, while chanting “MVP! MVP!”

“It really, really was a masterful