Damian Lillard watched the Lakers and LeBron James pay tribute to the late Kobe Bryant on Friday night. He heard James speak from the heart about Bryant's devotion to basketball, the blood, sweat and tears that Bryant poured out over a 20-year NBA career.
After that, though, there was still a game to play, but it also was an opportunity for the players on the floor to pour everything they were feeling into two-plus hours of competition.
Lillard got through his night by taking on a Mamba Mentality.
LAKERS' TRIBUTE: LeBron's speech | Images in and around Staples
Thus inclined, Dame denied the Lakers a Hollywood ending. He hit more 3s as he maintained his historic shooting pace. He dished double-digit dimes. He put the Blazers on his back in spots, as he does, and then helped them finish the job.
His team walked off the court with a 127-119 victory, even though Lillard said he didn't really feel like a winner. More important to him, his primary goal was achieved.
He told ESPN's Lisa Salters moments after the game that his wish was for everyone to "play our hearts out."
"The one thing that we know for sure we had in common with Kobe is the love of this game, and we're here, so we might as well come out and honor him in that way, and I thought we did that," Lillard said.
This is how well Lillard honored Kobe: a game-high 48 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds and seven 3-pointers in 40 minutes. He has now hit five or more 3s in six consecutive games, joining James Harden and Stephen Curry as the only NBA players with so long a streak.
All done with the idea of competing like Kobe.
this isnt a hot streak this is an inferno @Dame_Lillard pic.twitter.com/l9D6sqyMsA
— Damian Wobbard (@WorldWideWob) February 1, 2020
As Lillard told reporters postgame, Bryant was deserving of everyone's best effort.
"It's tough from an emotional standpoint, but he's worthy, more than worthy," Lillard said, per ESPN.com. "And that type of love and that type of respect and that type of honor that was given to him in the first game since [the helicopter crash Sunday that killed Bryant, his daughter and seven other people] happened, it was only right."
