Lillard masterpiece but Nuggets sink Blazers

LOS ANGELES: Damian Lillard produced a record-breaking 55-point display but it was not enough to prevent the Portland Trail Blazers from slipping to a 147-140 double overtime defeat against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.

Blazers talisman Lillard once again lived up to his reputation as a clutch competitor, almost single-handedly dragging the Blazers into the contest with a string of crucial three-pointers.

The game five defeat leaves Denver 3-2 ahead in the best-of-seven playoff series, meaning Portland must win both of their remaining games to advance.

Lillard's final points tally included 12 three-pointers, a record for the NBA playoffs and only two behind the all-time record of 14 in a game held by Klay Thompson.

The 30-year-old Portland star forced overtime with just 3.7 seconds remaining, draining a 27-footer to make it 121-121.

Lillard struck again at the end of overtime with a 26-foot three-pointer to make it 135-135.

His final points of the night came with a 30-foot three-pointer that put Portland 140-138 ahead in double overtime, but a costly late blunder by C.J. McCollum, inadvertently stepping out of bounds, allowed Denver to snatch victory.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 38 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, while Monte Morris added 28 points. Michael Porter Jr. finished with 26 points.

Game six takes place in Portland on Thursday.