PORTLAND - The Portland Trail Blazers found their groove in a big way Friday night, riding a huge third quarter to a 3-XXX win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and snapping a two-game skid in the process. The victory moved Portland to 7-3 on the season.
Damian Lillard set the tone with 25 points, going 8-for-15 from the floor, 4-for-10 from deep and a perfect 5-for-5 at the line. Deni Avdija was right there with him, finishing with 24 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
Oklahoma City got 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, while Jared McCain chipped in 21 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Portland came out sharp and scored first, but the opening quarter turned into a back-and-forth fight. The Blazers held the lead until Gilgeous-Alexander knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Thunder in front for the first time with three minutes left in the period. Portland answered immediately when Camara buried a jumper from the short corner, only for Aday Mara to swing the lead back Oklahoma City’s way with a dunk that made it 23-22 with just under two minutes to go.
The Thunder finished the quarter on top, 27-26, but Portland kept the pressure on with a second quarter that belonged to its bench. At one point, the Blazers’ reserves had a 13-3 edge over Oklahoma City’s second unit.
Chris Youngblood drove that stretch, scoring eight points on two 3-pointers and two free throws. By the time he checked out with 3:40 left in the half, his eight points were the most any Blazer had scored in the quarter, a total Avdija would later match.
The game was tied 59-59 at halftime, but the third quarter is where Portland blew it open. The Blazers outscored the Thunder 38-21 in the period and closed it with an 8-0 burst to take a 97-80 lead into the fourth. Lillard was electric in that stretch, pouring in 13 points and repeatedly sending Moda Center into a frenzy.
From there, the fourth quarter was just about putting the finishing touches on it. The Thunder never made the deficit manageable, and Portland coasted to the win.
In Other News...
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Thunder Need Shai And A Short-Handed Frontcourt To Answer Back
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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 🡒]