Buzzer beater! Portland's Damian Lillard sinks Oklahoma with INCREDIBLE 3-pointer in NBA Playoffs
Portland star Damian Lillard produced a stunning performance in the NBA Playoffs to score 50 points, including a dramatic buzzer-beating three-pointer, as the Trail Blazers eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Lillard registered a franchise-record 50 points and six assists in an incredible display that saw him sink long-range field goals from all over the court in a supreme showcase of distance shooting.
Damian Lillard (50 PTS) buries the three for the #TissotBuzzerBeater and the @trailblazers advance to the Western Conference Semifinals with the 118-115 Game 5 victory! #ThisIsYourTime#RipCity#NBAPlayoffspic.twitter.com/cVqLJkHLR4
— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2019
And his incredible long-range three-pointer as the buzzer sounded secured outright victory for Portland, whose 118-115 win gave them a 4-1 series win over Oklahoma.
Respected US broadcaster Rich Eisen tweeted his appreciation for the manner in which the Blazers finished off the Thunder, saying they answered Oklahoma’s trash talk in the perfect manner.
Hard pressed to conjure up a bigger playoff buzzer-beating dagger than a series-ending 37-footer to cap a personal 50-point night to send home a team that’s been 💩 talking you. All hail @Dame_Lillard, King of House Rip City. pic.twitter.com/VxqS0BAiN9
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) April 24, 2019
The US commentary of the buzzer-beating shot was suitably excited, as this NBC compilation video shows, but stay until the end of the below clip and you will find out that nothing quite matched the excitement levels in the South Korean commentary box as their play-callers went berserk at Lillard’s last-gasp basket.
Here is your ultimate @Dame_Lillard game winning shot compilation video #ripcitypic.twitter.com/eyC3dvb7md
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) April 24, 2019
ESPN presenter Rachel Nichols highlighted some of the eye-popping stats from Lillard’s performance, showing just how good the Blazers’ star was on the night.
Damian Lillard was 8-12 (66.7%) on shots from 30+ feet in this series. Every other player in the NBA is 6-38 (15.8%) combined on those shots this postseason. PG is right, it is a bad shot...for nearly everyone else. Just not for Lillard.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 24, 2019
And Lillard’s celebration, a wave goodbye to the Thunder, was the perfect send-off after an at-times hot-tempered rivalry between the two franchises.
When asked to explain his post-game wave, Lillard explained it was a response to Oklahoma's antics after winning Game 3 of the series.
"The series was over. That was it. I was just waving goodbye to them," he said.
"I was just waving goodbye to them." Dame discusses his celebration after he helped the @trailblazers win the series.#NBAPlayoffspic.twitter.com/HSANVi7poJ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 24, 2019
"I think after Game 3 Dennis Schroder was out there pointing to his wrist. They was all out there doing all these celebrations and doing all this stuff. And we kept our composure.
"After one win, that was what they decided to do. We was just like, OK.
"What we want to do is win four games, and then when we win those four games, there's not going to be nothing to talk about, so that's what that was."
Lillard and Portland will now move on to face the winner of the Denver Nuggets-San Antonio Spurs series in the next stage of the NBA Playoffs. Denver currently lead the series 3-2.
