Damian Lillard scores 40 to reach 20,000-point milestone.

Damian Lillard didn’t try to hide the significance of reaching a new professional milestone for him.
With Victor Wembanyama sidelined for the San Antonio Spurs due to a painful right ankle, the Spurs lost 132-119 to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Damian Lillard scored a season-high 40 points to push his career total over 20,000. Giannis Antetokounmpo also recorded a triple-double.

Lillard became the eighth active player and 51st person in NBA history to surpass 20,000 points in his career, with a total of 20,034 points. Playing his 794th game in his career, Lillard became the 17th fastest player to hit that mark.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan, and Chris Paul are the other active players with at least 20,000 points.

The only players in NBA history with 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, and 2,000 3-pointers are Lillard, James, Curry, and Harden.

“I consider what preceded it,” Lillard remarked. “Everything that comes to mind is what I wasn’t meant to be, what I wasn’t supposed to achieve, and my mindset over all of those years in high school, college, and the scepticism I encountered throughout my career, prior to the NBA. There are moments when it seems impossible that anything good would come of it. All you need to do is have confidence in yourself”.

With a career-high 16 assists, 14 rebounds, and a season-low 11 points, Antetokounmpo recorded his second triple-double of the year and his 37th overall. On December 2, he recorded another triple-double in a 132-121 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.