On Tuesday, the Portland Trail Blazers outslugged the Dallas Mavericks 134-131 thanks to 61 points from guard Damian Lillard.
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who is no stranger to putting up big points himself, was very impressed with Lillard’s eruption.
The Blazers entered the NBA’s bubble site as something of dark horses to make the playoffs. They started the season 5-12 despite the presence of one of the league’s best backcourts.
Lately, however, they have caught fire.
Despite narrow losses to the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, Portland is now on the verge of clinching a spot in the league’s first-ever play-in tournament.
Lillard is mostly responsible for his team’s remarkable turnaround.
His 61 points on Tuesday made him the first NBA player not named Wilt Chamberlain to ever have three games of at least 60 points in the same season.
Coming into the game against Dallas, Lillard was averaging 33.0 points and 9.5 assists a game since reporting to the bubble.
He may not end up winning the league MVP award, but Lillard has put everyone on notice that he’s as lethal a player as anyone on the planet.