NBA wrap: Damian Lillard drops 41 as girlfriend goes into labor
Damian Lillard is having a special season. He is averaging 26.6 points, was named an All-Star, led the Trail Blazers to a 13-game winning streak, but he has yet to have a night as special as Tuesday.
Lillard was great on the court once again as he recorded a game-high 41 points in a key 107-103 win over the Pelicans, but even more wonderful for the 27-year-old, he learned after the game his girlfriend went into labor with what will be their first-born child.
After Lillard helped overcome a 36-point, 14-rebound performance from Anthony Davis and a triple-double from Jrue Holiday, he had to rush back to Portland to be with his family.
"I'm excited," Lillard told reporters after the game. "Been waiting."
Lillard will miss Wednesday's matchup with the Grizzlies in Memphis. His child was kind enough to force him to be absent against a team with the second-worst record in basketball (20-54).
Studs of the Night
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic finished with a game-high 29 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists but Denver fell to the Raptors, 114-110.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon picked up the slack in James Harden's absence, scoring a game-high 31 while going 8 for 13 from 3-point range in a 118-86 win over the Bulls.
Duds of the Night
The Cavs did everything wrong in a 98-79 loss to the Heat. They scored a season-low, lost Kevin Love in the first quarter to concussion-like symptoms, shot 4 for 26 from 3-point range, and they extended their losing streak in Miami to 14 games.
Highlight
Clippers guard Milos Teodosic was once hyped as the man to replace Chris Paul. While that may be a lofty goal, passes like the one he made to DeAndre Jordan Tuesday of the no-look variety give fans quite a bit to hope for in the future. Wayyyyyyy too much sauce! @
MilosTeodosic4 😲
📺 #PrimeTicket pic.twitter.com/yuNHkKUj5M
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) March 28, 2018
Celtics (51-23) at Jazz (42-32) 9:30 p.m. ET— No one wants to play the Jazz right now. They are 8-2 in their last 10 and 11-2 in their last 13. Donovan Mitchell is making a legitimate push for Rookie of the Year and Rudy Gobert is dominating the paint
