(Photo : Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 25: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers takes a shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth quarter at Moda Center on January 25, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
As the Portland Trail Blazers remained hot, so was their main man, Damian Lillard, as he again set the alarm for another 'Dame Time,' and led the Trail Blazers in defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 115-104.
The Trail Blazers are on a roll, winning their last five games, and their latest victim was the Thunder, who had beaten them in their last three games.
When the Trail Blazers' main man looked at the scoreboard with few minutes left in the game, their lead was down to a single digit, 93-84.
Lillard hoped that his team could hit back-to-back shots beyond the arc. However, they could not stop Oklahoma City's scoring surge, which cut the 20-point Blazer lead to just a five-point deficit with four minutes to go, NBA.com reported.
During the post-game interview, Damian Lillard shared that it would be a tough loss for them if they cannot pull it off as they have played so well.
When Lillard came back on the court, the atmosphere felt different after he hit his first triple with 4:11 left in the ballgame, with Lu Dort flying after buying the pump fake.
According to ESPN, Lillard's shot sent Dort flying, and the Thunder momentum away as it ended the 23-4 run orchestrated by OKC.
After Lillard dropped his initial long bomb, the Thunder alerted their defense and focused on their primary target, Damian Lillard.
But the Trail Blazers' guard set up Trent in the corner to drop another three to regain the lead.
In the next possession, Lillard had shaken Dort off him as he forced a switch.
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He then tilted back into a quick-release over Isaiah Roby. Few possessions later, Lillard had Dort in isolation.
Dort's efforts in hounding and reading every Lillard movement were not enough as the Trail Blazers' star went behind his back and took a big step back to create the separation. Lillard knocked the triple over the stellar defense, Chicago Daily Herald reported.
After two possessions, Lillard sealed the game with a dagger beyond the arc, giving the Trail Blazers their fifth consecutive win.
Every defense given by any Thunder play seems to be late, proving that it was already Dame Time.
After starting the game 1-of-10 beyond the arc, Lillard hit his last four shots before the buzzer and finished the game with 31 points, seven rebounds, and ten assists.
His teammate, Enes Kanter, even called him a cheat code, as the Trail Blazers' center stated that he had never seen a performance like that before.
Kanter added that he has played with some of the great players in the league but what he saw during their game against Thunder was wild.
Damian Lillard revealed on Tuesday that part of unlocking the 'Dame Time' was also unlocking the mindset to embrace big moments in his own personal mind game with himself.
He also shared that he doesn't know why but he is just doing it.
