OKC Thunder Dominate Trail Blazers for Biggest Win This Season
The Oklahoma City Thunder wasted no time taking care of business.
The Thunder beat the Portland Trail Blazers 139-77 for the largest win in the NBA this season. The Thunder also moved to 10-1 in their past 11 home games.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 62-point lead, the Thunder had a shot at history. However, the Trail Blazers began the fourth quarter with a run to thwart any chance of having the largest loss in NBA history.
Still, the Thunder finished with just the eighth win by at least 60 points in NBA history.
One night after Jalen Williams came up one rebound short of a triple-double, Josh Giddey made a run at his own. Just two rebounds and two assists away at halftime, he finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
The Thunder entered halftime with a 75-39 lead and dominated throughout the first two quarters. Giddey’s full-court outlet pass to Williams pushed the Thunder’s lead to 40 in the opening minutes of the second half.
A 15-3 run early in the second quarter pushed the Thunder’s lead to the 20-point mark for the first time. They had no problem keeping the lead past that for the rest of the night.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shined against Portland and even got some rare first-quarter rest. The star guard finished with 31 points in 11-of-15 shooting.
Rookie big man Chet Holmgren got an opportunity to show off his ability as a volume scorer. With plenty of shots early, he finished 9-of-13 from the floor, scoring 19.
Trail Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson scored the game’s first five points, but the Thunder quickly built a lead. With an 18-2 run to follow, the Thunder took a double-digit lead and forced Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups into a timeout.
Oklahoma City extended that to a 22-2 run that helped it take a 12-point lead into the second quarter. Oklahoma City’s big three all scored at least 10 points in the first frame.
The Thunder will look to extend their winning streak to four against the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
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