Damian Lillard Drops 50 Points in 3 Quarters in Blazers' Win over Kings

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard scored 50 points in just three quarters in the Blazers' 118-100 rout of the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center Friday night.

Michael Wagaman of the Associated Press passed along comments from Lillard about why he didn't ask head coach Terry Stotts for more playing time.

"I saw we were up 20, and I was like, 'OK, if we keep this lead, there's really no reason to go back in there,'" he said. "I'd rather have a 50 in 29 minutes with some character than go out there and chase 60. I feel like that's bad karma."

Lillard connected on 16 of his 26 shots from the field, including eight of 13 attempts from beyond the three-point line. He was also a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw stripe.

The 27-year-old Weber State product added six assists, three steals and a rebound as part of the dazzling display. Maurice Harkless was the team's second-leading scorer, recording 15 points.

Kings head coach Dave Joerger joked about his squad's inability to keep the dynamic point guard in check, per Wagaman: "We did a super job on [Lillard] in the fourth quarter."

Lillard's performance moved him into a virtual tie with Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook for seventh in the NBA in scoring, with 25.5 points per game.

He will look to continue his hot shooting Sunday night, when the Blazers return to Moda Center to face the Utah Jazz.