Oklahoma City Fends off Portland 128-120 in Gritty Win on the Road
On the cusp of attaining their longest win streak on the season just a week ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder's tide shifted slightly.
A very sore hiccup to in San Antonio to the Spurs and a tough matchup versus the Los Angeles Lakers on the road — two losses in its previous three games — had left a sour taste in Oklahoma City's mouth – and through a hard-fought contest versus the Portland Trail Blazers late Wednesday night, they didn't let it linger.
Oklahoma City came into Portland and left out with another win against its divisional foe, 128-120, sweeping the season with four straight wins.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge in scoring for the Thunder like he'd done in his last seven outings, generating 35 points on 23 shots. Jalen Williams followed suit with 31 points on 9-of-17 shooting with two steals.
It was a big night for nearly all of the team's starters, as Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey both had strong outings. Holmgren, with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Giddey posting 19 points while missing only one shot.
For Portland, Simons paced the Trail Blazers well with a second-half 3-point barrage, ultimately producing five threes within his 29 points.
Out of the gate, it was a quick start for the Thunder as they leaked out to a swift 13-point advantage just under halfway through the first.
Giddey was a big part of this start as he continues to string together confident first quarters, generating a quick six points in his seven minutes played throughout the frame.
The Trail Blazers would climb their way out of that hole, capitalizing off forced turnovers to pressure Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault into a timeout at the 3:04 mark.
As the Thunder players filed through to the bench, a scare ensued when Oklahoma City forward Bismack Biyombo lost consciousness while embracing his teammates, as he slowly fell backwards and banged the back of his head before the medical staff rushed over to him.
He regained consciousness and headed to the locker room as the game returned to play. The Thunder broadcast relayed that Biyombo had been cleared by Trail Blazers medical staff, but OKC would hold him out of the game out of caution.
The rest of the first quarter remained tight-knit, but Oklahoma City never relinquished its lead entering the second frame. Gilgeous-Alexander's ultra-consistent play saw him with another double-digit quarter, notching a team-high 10 points.
Into the second, the Holmgren-Williams dynamic began to flourish, as the duo connected multiple times with Williams adding a shot from distance to quickly extend their lead to 12 at 43-31.
Despite an impressive two-way effort from Matisse Thybulle – who'd sank a couple threes paired with a steal along with his suffocating perimeter defense – Holmgren's activity on the boards and offensive effectivity helped keep Oklahoma City in front.
Though, a couple Duop Reath trips to the free throw line and a Jerami Grant three cut the Thunder lead to eight, closing the first half 65-57.
For Oklahoma City, it was a first half of nearly all scoring production derived from its starters. All but four of their 65 points came from the team's core five, with each of them scoring in double digits other than Lu Dort who scored six.
Much like the first frame, the third began with a burst from the Thunder before being cut off by a Blazers effort.
And the highlight of the frame came between a back-and-forth stretch between Simons and Gilgeous-Alexander. Simons had put up eight third-quarter points getting hot from three-point range, while Gilgeous-Alexander abused him offensively with three consecutive and-one opportunities.
This kept Portland at bay before the Trail Blazers took a timeout down by seven.
Shortly after, another Simons trey ball and a Grant basket got them as close as two at 88-86, the closest they'd been since late in the first quarter.
But a Gordon Hayward three, score from Williams and buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper in the lane from Gilgeous-Alexander continued to keep Portland just out of reach, heading into the final frame up by 10.
The fourth unfolded similarly to how the entire game had.
The Blazers would have their moments, and especially with Simons sniping from distance, hitting the Thunder in their chin. But Oklahoma City would strike back.
Portland would claw its way back to within two with just over four minutes to play, as a limping Gilgeous-Alexander was taken out of the game shortly after.
He'd shortly return though, slowing down the offense and immediately connecting with Williams for a major conversion from three.
Down the stretch, a massive three off the catch from Williams and the ability to convert when necessary would see the Thunder come out of its road trip with a victory in Portland.
Oklahoma City will next begin a four-game home stretch against the Miami Heat at 7 p.m. CT on Friday inside Paycom Center.
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