The Monday NBA slate was a tough night for the Portland Trail Blazers, as they were defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-121. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to give the Thunder the victory, capping off his 35-point night in style.
For Portland, Damian Lillard tried his best to keep pace with the burgeoning young Oklahoma City star, scoring 28 points of his own. While it was certainly disappointing that the night ended in defeat, Monday will be a game that Lillard remembers forever.
That is because he surpassed Clyde Drexler as the all-time leading scorer in Trail Blazers history. Drexler scored 18,040 of his 22,195 career points while playing in Portland for 867 games to start his Hall of Fame career.
“Even during the game tonight, I wasn’t playing focused on getting to the record,” Lillard said. “I was playing the game just trying to win. I knew it would happen eventually.”
Lillard needed 21 points to move ahead of Drexler on Monday, surpassing him in the third quarter after a made free throw. He accomplished the feat much faster than Drexler, needing only 730 games with the 3-point shot being the biggest factor in how quickly Lillard reached that number. He has 2,229 3-pointers and counting in his career while Drexler had 827.
“It’s a great feeling to reach the top,” Lillard said. “It’s been a goal of mine, and the list has so many players, great history of our organization, so to finally be No. 1 is a special accomplishment that I’m proud of.”
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Playing with one franchise is something that means a lot to Lillard, who has had a few opportunities to leave or force his way out of Portland but has always committed to the franchise. It is something many people believe will cost him ever being a true title contender, but he will go down as the greatest Trail Blazer in franchise history, which is worth something.
“Damian’s commitment to Portland is now encapsulated with this prestigious career milestone,” Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said in a statement. “His dedication, humility and hard work have been pillars for his path to this very moment. On behalf of the organization, we would like to congratulate Damian on this great achievement and look forward to many more.”
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After an injury-riddled 2021-22 campaign, Lillard has bounced back with another All-Star caliber season. He is averaging 28.3 points, 7.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds as the Trail Blazers have gone 12-7 in the 19 games that he has played in. Overall, they are 17-14 on the season, going 5-7 in the 12 games he has missed.
