Lillard blasts NBA for drug test after 71 game

Dame Time is also blood draw time? Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard went off Sunday night, dropping 71 points in a 131- 114 victory against the Houston Rockets but was displeased about his having to be drug tested after the game.

Lillard’s scoring outburst set a Portland franchise record and personal best and tied Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell for most points scored in an NBA game this season. Lillard’s previous career high was 61 points, which he had accomplished twice.

Lillard, 32, tied Mitchell, Elgin Baylor ( 1960) and David Robinson ( 1994) for the eighth- most points scored in an NBA game. The record is 100 in 1962 by Wilt Chamberlain, who has five of the top seven scoring games in NBA history.

“I mean, honestly, I was like, ‘ Are y’all serious?’ ” Lillard said during his postgame news conference. “I did the urine test yesterday and they backed it up with the blood draw tonight after the game and it was actually the first time in my career being tested after a game. And then, aside from that, they know that I’m scared of needles.

“I know I’ve got a lot of tattoos, but when you’re doing a blood draw, it’s different from tattoos.”

According to Section 6 of the AntiDrug Program outlined in the collective bargaining agreement, a player “shall be required to undergo testing for Prohibited Substances at any time, without prior notice to the player, no more than four ( 4) times each Season and no more than two ( 2) times during each Off- Season.”

Lillard, who is fresh off his winning the 3- point contest over the All- Star break, converted 13 3- pointers, which was one shy of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson’s record set in 2018. Lillard made 22 of his 38 shot attempts Sunday night, including 13 of 22 from beyond the arc. He made all 14 of his free throw attempts.

“I mean, honestly, I was like, ‘ Are y’all serious?’ I did the urine test yesterday and they backed it up with the blood draw tonight after the game and it was actually the first time in my career being tested after a game.” Damian Lillard