Damian Lillard scored 9 of his 18 points in the 3rd quarter to help Team Lebron come back from a 13 point halftime deficit, to beat Team Giannis 178-164. Trailing 95-82 coming out of the lockeroom, the deficit climbed to 19 by the middle of the third quarter, before Lillard got his chance to shine.
After half time Lebron James was asked what his team would do to get back in the game. His response, find the hot hand and feed it. That hot hand happened to be Damian Lillard, who fueled the third quarter comeback. He did more than score, he got to ball to teammates Klay Thompson and Bradley Beal, racking up 5 assists. Two of his third quarter three pointers brought the game back to even.
His third quarter heroics awarded him floor time to finish the game, though he went scoreless in the fourth. After the buzzer sounded, Lillard had the honor of giving the post game interview, where he was praised for his hot hand, and asked about how he felt about being the engine of Team Lebron’s 50 point 3rd quarter.
“In a game like this, you know the floor’s going to be open. You’re going to get some good looks. It’s just a matter of seeing one go in. I saw one go in early, and I was able to get hot.”
*Damian Lillard also participated in the 3 point contest alongside teammate Seth Curry. Both Lillard and Curry were eliminated in the first round scoring 17 and 16 points respectively. Joe Harris of the Nets went on to win.
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