After a tough fight against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, the Portland Trail Blazers were looking to take their frustrations out of the Oklahoma City Thunder on the second night in a row. Oklahoma City entered the Moda Center with most of its starting team. The Blazers lacked patience. The result was a decisive blow. Portland jumped on Thunder early and then expanded their lead throughout the game, ending with a final margin of 133-85 that became a balm for recent injuries.
Eight Blazers players, including five off the bench, reached double digits in this game, led by CJ McCollum with 20. Portland approached 50% of pitches while holding Thunder to 35.3% overall, 23.5 % of the arc.
First quarter
The Blazers did not start at their best. His offense showed cracks. Jusuf Nurkic was a little slow; Norman Powell and Damian Lillard lost three. But even hitting a few long balls was enough to put them in front of a completely confused Thunder team. Oklahoma City tried to carry out its crime. On the rare occasions when their passes hit targets, they scored easily. This rarely happened. Turnovers and broken plays were the norm. You could say that Portland’s defense was good, but it would be so accurate to say that Thunder’s lack of firepower and coordination made everything Portland did look better. When the Blazers’ attack heated up in the middle of the period, the squash started. Thunder hit just 7 field goals in the period against Portland’s 13. The Blazers led 35-19 after one.
Second bedroom
Oklahoma City started to hit the shots at the beginning of the second period. They could hardly miss, marking well on the edge. He provided modest, but somewhat convincing, evidence that his misfortunes were self-inflicted and not due to Portland’s defensive feats. On the other hand, Powell converted some layups. But the modest internal offense was not enough to keep OKC in check. Scoring freely, Thunder cut the lead from 21 to 11 before the middle of the period. Carmelo Anthony stopped the OKC race with a pair of three points, saving his team. This provided a sufficient bridge to take the Blazers back to their initial unit. Despite Lillard’s difficulty in scoring, Powell, CJ McCollum and company still placed enough points on the board to make up for any slips early in the quarter. Friendly three-point dams cover a range of ills. The Blazers led 65-46 at the break.
Third quarter
Powell came out hot again to start the third period, pushing Portland over a 20-point margin. With such a big advantage, the Blazers were playing easily and for free. Jusuf Nurkic ran on both ends with abandon. Lillard and McCollum shot where and when they wanted. This resulted in a 16-1 run that took the lead to 30. At around 8:00, Thunder asked for a time limit to reevaluate the meaning of their lives. In Portland’s next move, Lillard converted an easy tray, prompting OKC to ask for another quick timeout to reinforce his plans. After the inbounds that followed, Powell stole the ball and converted another layup. At one point, that game was no longer fair. (Hint: that point may have been when the lead reached 40.) Portland led 104-59 at the end of three.
Fourth trimester
The fourth period did little to change the game’s character. The reserves played the whole picture. Harry Giles III hit a few trios. Anfernee Simons and CJ Elleby pushed the ball inside. Oklahoma City also scored, but Portland kept the lead between 40-45 for most of the period, increasing the final margin to 48 when the game came to an end.
Stay tuned for the extended recap with detailed game analysis!
Points Box
The Blazers will travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers on Tuesday night at 7:00 am, Pacific.