PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 2016 with a 118-115 win over Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.
Portland was down 15 points at one point in the fourth quarter. But the Trail Blazers came roaring back in the final minutes, thanks in large part to their All-Star point guard.
Damian Lillard scored a playoff career-high 50 points, including the game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer to finish off the series in five games.
In addition to setting a franchise playoff record by scoring 50 points, Lillard made a franchise playoff record 10 three-pointers.
It's not the first time Lillard has hit a game-winning shot to clinch a playoff series. He did the same at the Moda Center in 2014, when the Blazers defeated the Houston Rockets in six games.
As many noticed, Lillard waved goodbye in the direction of Oklahoma City's bench immediately after making the game-winning shot.
"The series was over...I was just waving goodbye to them," Lillard said after the game.
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