LOS ANGELES — Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard put on a commanding performance in Friday night’s 127-119 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, scoring 48 points, dishing out 11 assists and grabbing nine rebounds.
On a night when the Lakers honored Kobe Bryant in the organization’s first game since the former guard’s tragic death in a helicopter accident Sunday, it was Lillard who stole the show. The All-Star guard went 22-for-32 from the field and 7-for-11 from beyond the arc.
Lillard had recorded his first career triple-double in Wednesday’s win over the Houston Rockets, scoring 36 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists.
Over the past five games, Lillard is averaging 48.4 points, 9.8 assists and 8.2 rebounds.
What made Lillard’s performance Friday night more impressive was that he did it without the help of forward Carmelo Anthony, who sat out because of personal reasons in the wake of Bryant’s death.