Deni Avdija set the tone with 28 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers backed it up with a 118-108 win over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was Portland’s consecutive win in consecutive nights against the Thunder, and the Blazers got there with a balanced scoring night that kept Oklahoma City chasing.
Jrue Holiday and Sidy Cissoko each finished with 19 points, while Damian Lillard chipped in 18 points, three rebounds and three assists. Toumani Camara added 14 points as Portland kept the pressure on from multiple spots in the rotation.
Gilgeous-Alexander carried the Thunder with a game-high 31 points, going 9-for-20 from the field, 0-for-7 from beyond the arc and 13-for-14 at the line. Oklahoma City shot 42 percent overall and just 30.6 percent from three, while Portland finished at 45.7 percent from the floor, 38.8 percent from deep and 96.2 percent on free throws.
The second quarter was where Portland really separated itself. The Blazers have been one of the league’s best teams in that period all season, ranking second in the NBA in second-quarter offensive rating at 130.1 behind the San Antonio Spurs.
Oklahoma City, for its part, owns the second-best defensive rating in the quarter at 94.2. None of that mattered here.
Portland went 10-for-20 from the field in the second quarter and hit 4-of-10 from 3-point range, while also making 4-of-5 free throws. The Thunder, after opening the game by shooting 50 percent in the first quarter and 40 percent from three, fell apart the rest of the half. They shot 24 percent overall and 18.2 percent from deep in the second quarter, and Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to four points on 1-for-7 shooting.
Branden Carlson also got a look for Portland, logging 10 minutes after averaging just under eight minutes per game this season and appearing in only five of the previous 10 contests. He didn’t score and finished with one rebound, but he was plus-3 overall. Carlson played in the first, second and fourth quarters, going plus-5 in the first, plus-3 in the second and minus-5 in the fourth.
His minutes came alongside either Williams or Clingan as Portland experimented with a double-big look, and the results were mixed.
Then came the closing stretch, and Lillard took over again. In the first meeting with Oklahoma City, his surge came in the third quarter. This time, he delivered in the final minutes of the fourth, drawing “MVP” chants at the free throw line with one minute left.
Lillard scored nine points in the quarter and finished plus-12 in the frame. He went 3-for-6 overall and buried one frantic 3-pointer that pushed Moda Center into a frenzy.
In Other News...
Blazers Lose Another Depth Piece As Injury Concerns Keep Growing
Another depth piece is suddenly off the board for Portland, with forward Vit Krejci undergoing surgery on a fracture in his left ankle after getting hurt in a game against the Suns. The recovery process begins immediately, and the Blazers now have another rotation question to manage as they try to keep their season moving without one more capable body on the wing.
Krejcis absence matters because Portland has already been leaning on depth to survive the grind, and his contract situation only adds another layer to the decision-making around the roster. Hell be re-evaluated in eight weeks, leaving the Blazers to navigate the coming stretch without knowing exactly when they can count on him again. [Read more 🡒]
Scoot Hendersons New Role Puts His Blazers Future In Doubt
Scoot Hendersons season has taken a sharp turn in Portland, and the latest move only deepened the uncertainty around his place in the rotation. After the Trail Blazers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team turned to Sidy Cissoko ahead of Henderson, a notable shift for a player who entered the year expected to keep building within the clubs young core. Instead, Henderson has seen his starting spot slip away while his numbers have sagged to career lows in shooting efficiency.
For a franchise still sorting out its long-term backcourt, the timing matters. Henderson is on an expiring deal and will be a restricted free agent, which gives Portland a decision to make soon about whether to keep investing in his development or explore a different path. If the Blazers continue to view him as a player without a settled role, a trade to a rebuilding team could make more sense for both sides, even if it would mark a significant pivot from the plan that once seemed set in Portland. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Need Shai And A Short-Handed Frontcourt To Answer Back
The Thunder head into the second night of a back-to-back against the Trail Blazers already carrying the weight of a rough loss in Portland, and the matchup comes with some real roster strain in the frontcourt. With limited healthy centers available, Oklahoma City is trying to piece together a plan that can hold up on the glass and inside while also getting cleaner offense than it managed the night before.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains the obvious engine for a reset, especially if the Thunder are going to avoid another game where the scoring dries up and Portland controls the tempo. The defensive adjustments matter too, because the first meeting exposed enough issues to make this rematch feel less like a routine regular-season stop and more like a test of how well Oklahoma City can respond when the margins get thin. [Read more 🡒]