A tight, physical first half in Portland gave no hint of what was coming. One explosive third quarter turned an even contest into a statement win over one of the NBA’s form teams.
Damian Lillard scored 25 points as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-103 on Tuesday night. The result snapped Portland’s two-game losing streak and ended a four-game winning run for the Thunder.
Damian Lillard Takes Over After Halftime
The teams went into the break locked at 59-59, with neither side able to build a double-digit lead. Portland then won the third quarter 38-21 and carried a 97-80 cushion into the fourth.
Lillard did much of his damage in that spell, knocking down big threes as the gap grew. It was a reminder that Damian Lillard still knows how to seize a game when it starts to tilt, and the home crowd loved every minute. Deni Avdija added 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Sidy Cissoko scored 17 after starting in place of Scoot Henderson.
Jrue Holiday chipped in 11 off the bench, and Donovan Clingan controlled the glass with 13 rebounds.
Thunder Run Out of Answers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 26 points and eight rebounds, but he needed 22 shots to get there and missed all four of his three-point attempts. He sat out the entire fourth quarter, and Jared McCain added 21.
The absences tell part of the story. Oklahoma City played without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, the latest chapter in a season of injuries that has stretched the rotation thin. Nique Clifford, acquired from Sacramento on Sunday, made his Thunder debut off the bench.
There is no time to dwell on it. The two sides meet again on Wednesday night in Portland, and Gilgeous-Alexander will want a very different third quarter when they do.
