Basketball On The Internet.

BOB'S CORNER: Portland Trailblazer Damian Lillard has stormed into the NBA's history books and our US correspondent Bob Craven was watching as it all unfolded. Not to mention, though he has, a near record-setting match between Sacramento Kings and LA Clippers, and so much more.

A FEW big games in the NBA over the last several days now that the All-Star game and related festivities are well and truly over. 

The biggest individual effort was when Damian Lillard of the TrailBlazers went off for 71 points in a win over the hapless Houston Rockets. 

He was "on" from the start, going 22-of-38 from the field, including 13-of-22 from deep, made all 14 free throw attempts and added six assists to top off his game. 

He had 41 points and eight threes by halftime.  At 32, he is the oldest player to score 70 or more points, and is the only one to do so after age 29.  One of his threes was just ridiculous, as he pulled up and drained one from more than 10 metres out!

His 13 three-pointers ties him with Steph and Chicago's Zack LaVine for second most in league history behind the 14 notched by Klay Thompson a few years ago. 

He is the second player to hit 71 points this season, joining Donovan Mitchell of the Cavs on January 2.  His 71 points is the eighth most points scored in a game, tying him with Elgin Baylor and "The Admiral", David Robinson, and he becomes the eighth player to score 70 or more points in a game. 

It was also his fifth game of 60 or more points, ranking him third in league history behind Wilt (32) and Kobe (6).

Lillard became the first to enjoy a 70+-point game playing less than 40-minutes.

He also took the fewest free throw attempts in a 70-point game.
It was the first 70-point game with 10 or more 3-pointers.
He had the highest TS percentage in a game.  TS% equals True Shooting Percentage. It's a rarely seen measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account total field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws, and I don't pretend to understand it completely.

ANOTHER remarkable scoring effort involved two entire teams, not just one or two hot players.  The Sacramento Kings beat the LA Clippers 176-175 in overtime. 

It was the second highest scoring game in NBA history, and the two teams are now the third and fourth highest scoring teams. 

The record for most points in a game and for the top two scoring teams in a game goes back 40 years to 1983 when the Detroit Pistons defeated the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in 3OT's.

The leading scorer for the Kings was reserve Malik Monk, who scored 45 points off the bench.  He was ably supported by De'Aaron Fox who added 42 - the first time in team history two players scored 40 or more points in the same game. 

The Clips were led by Kawhi Leonard with 44 points.  The two teams combined for 44 three-pointers, tying the all-time league record.  Both teams shot over 58 per cent from the field and 80 per cent from the foul line.

THE Sixers' big man, Joel Embiid, played an outsized role in a recent win, as he seemed to be all over the court, finishing with 27 points, 19 rebounds, six assists, six blocks, and a steal. 

And as well as he's played all year, most media types think the MVP award might well go to Denver's big Serbian "point centre", Nikola Jocic, who has led the Nuggets to the No.1 position in the Western Conference, several games clear of second placed Memphis. 

Jocic already has more than 20 triple doubles this season and is among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists, and field goal percentage. 

If Jocic wins the MVP award, it would be his third consecutive success.

ANOTHER quick note about an almost forgotten and under-rated great NBA player from back in my day, Boston legend Dave Cowens.

Cowens was an undersized post player for the Celtics at 206cm.  He made up for being a bit on the small side for a centre with determination, savvy and used every inch of his body to be one of the most complete players in the game. 

He showcased this immediately, as he was voted Rookie of the Year in 1970-71.  He would become a two-time NBA champion with Boston in 1974 and 1976, and he was a surprise MVP in 1973 - he was not a First Team All-Pro that year. 

He was an eight-time All-Star and holds the distinction of being one of only a handful of players in NBA history to lead his team in all five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks) in a single season (1977-78). 

When he retired from the Celtics, he averaged 18.6 points and 14.0 rebounds per game.  He would later come out of retirement and play with Milwaukee for half a season.