Nurkic rallies Blazers past Hornets on Lillard’s big night

On Monday night, Jusuf Nurkic led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 124-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets with 27 points (including a career-high five 3-pointers), 14 rebounds, and six assists.

Jerami Grant scored 32 points to lead Portland in scoring. On the night he was recognized for becoming the best scorer in Trail Blazers history, Damian Lillard scored 17 points and dished out nine assists.

I can’t even begin to put it into words. According to Lillard, “it made me feel old a little bit.” A simple show of support from my teammates would suffice. Despite the fact that many of them are much younger than me and likely watched me play in the NBA when I was in high school, I don’t big bro them. Tonight, though, the appreciation and respect came over in their voices as they offered their congratulations. The presence of it has always been apparent to me, but tonight I can really feel it.

The majority of spectators stayed for the awards presentation after the game.

They stuck around and applauded every ten words, so there was that. “These are the folks that have supported me from the beginning,” Lillard remarked. They’ve watched me play from the very first exhibition game. The thought had been lingering in my mind for a while. I remember thinking, “I can’t believe I’ve aged so quickly from 21 to 32 in front of everyone here.