Portland Trail Blazers Waste Another Huge Damian Lillard Night, Lose to Denver Nuggets

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard had yet another amazing night Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets, but it was all for naught. The six-time All Star scored 44 points while hitting 12 of his 20 field goal attempts in a 122-113 loss.

44 points and 8 dimes for @Dame_Lillard tonight.

He's got 40+ in 3 of his last 4 games. pic.twitter.com/3cvJnEUC2B
— NBA (@NBA) January 18, 2023

It was Lillard's third 40-point effort in four games, and his 30 first-half points were a career-high. He's averaging a colossal 42.5 points per game with a stellar .576 field-goal percentage over his last four appearances.

Lillard is in the middle of one of the best years of his iconic stint with the Trail Blazers: his 29.3 points per game and .455 field goal percentage are the second-best marks of his career, behind only his 2019-20 season (30.0 ppg, .463 fg%). Unfortunately for Dame, it's all going to waste: the Trail Blazers are 21-23 and 11th in the Western Conference. Barring some massive moves at the trade deadline, Lillard's great year will fade into obscurity as a footnote in a forgettable Trail Blazers season.

Looking ahead, the Trail Blazer host the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.