Damian Lillard sends another game to OT, Blazers best Thunder

NBA fans often debate the best point guards in basketball, and for the most part it's hard to many points of agreement among the various factions. Yet one issue should leave little room for debate, because Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is pretty clearly the best clutch shooter in the league right now. The third-year pro has made a habit of hitting shots to win or extend games, from last spring's series-ending buzzer-beater against the Houston Rockets to several key moments in Friday's triple-overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs. The guy makes his presence known when he's needed most.

Lillard showed up in crunch time yet again in Tuesday night's game at the Oklahoma City Thunder. Playing without Kevin Durant for the third-straight game, the Thunder performed well and held a 91-78 lead with only 5:03 remaining in the fourth quarter. That's when the Blazers stormed back with a run to make it a 98-95 game with just a few ticks left. Not surprisingly, Lillard got the ball. He did not disappoint:

That three-pointer finished off a string of 11 points in the final 3:44 of the quarter for Lillard. Russell Westbrook missed a long three on the final possession to send the game to OT.

The Blazers controlled the final period seemingly with ease, with Lillard hitting a huge three-pointer off a tipped-out offensive rebound with 2:08 left to suggest that the night would not end with a Thunder win. Westbrook (40 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals) fouled out soon after to limit OKC's options. Yet there was still a notable close to the game, because power forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and Serge Ibaka tussled during a rebound and had to be separated along the baseline:

Both players were ejected, likely more to avoid a last-second brawl than due to the behavior itself. It also did not stop the Blazers from ending up with a 115-111 win, their sixth victory in their last seven games.

Regardless of the fight's severity, it could not detract from Lillard's late-game theatrics. While his game-tying shot will get most of the attention, he was fantastic throughout, putting up 40 points (11-of-21 FG, 8-of-12 3FG, 10-of-11 FT), 11 assists, and six rebounds in a stellar performance.

At this rate, it would be very surprising not to see Lillard make his second-straight All-Star Game in February, even in a Western Conference with a glut of deserving guards. He's doing it all for the 23-7 Blazers in dramatic fashion.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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