On a night where Pistons forward Josh Smith was a ridiculous 13-for-15 from 2-point range, Detroit point guard Brandon Jennings was getting his hands in all over the court with nearly a triple-double, it was the cold-shooting Damian Lillard who ended the game in overtime and continued Portland’s winning ways this season, even as they struggled on the road in Detroit.
This was only a night removed from a record-setting performance in Philadelphia, but after the Pistons took a 10-point lead in the third quarter, it looked like they would suffer their very first loss to an Eastern Conference opponent all year.
A fourth quarter that saw the Blazers out-score the Pistons 26-15, with Mo Williams‘ 2-for-2 shooting from deep helping the Blazers force overtime at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The OT period is where Lillard finally started to resemble the 2013 ROY and this season’s iteration — averaging over 20 PPG while shooting better than 40 percent from deep. He was 2-for-2 from the field for eight points in the extra session.
For the game, Dame was just 6-for-21 from the field with seven dimes, but with the clock running down and the score tied in overtime, 109-109, his twisting fadeaway with Rodney Stuckey in his grill, wiggled through the iron. The Blazers won, 111-109, taking the lead on Lillard’s shot with just 0.1 seconds remaining.
Smith led Detroit with 31 points on 13-of-17 shooting overall. Andre Drummond — paying respects to the victims at Sandy Hook with their names scribbled on his sneakers — had a double-double with 13 points and 14 boards, and Jennings finished 15 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge had a team-high 27 points and 12 boards to lead the Blazers before Lillard’s OT heroics.
What do you think of Dame’s game-winner?
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