Jalen Williams Shines in OKC Thunder Win Against Trail Blazers

The Oklahoma City Thunder, after falling back two games below a .500 record, took on the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday night, who were without the majority of their normal starting lineup.

The Thunder had the pressure to come in and win this game, and they did just that. Though it wasn’t a pretty win, the game will go down in the win column.

“An ugly win is a win,” Jalen Williams said postgame.

And, frankly, he’s right. Williams scored 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting. He added two 3-pointers, five rebounds and four assists, and was one of the biggest bright spots of the game.

"It wasn’t the prettiest game, but at this part of the season you take every win you can get," Josh Giddey reiterated to the media.

Giddey rounded out a solid game with 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. He knocked down three of his five 3-point attempts, which may have been the best part of his game. His shots were timely and proved what value a consistent jump shot could bring to Giddey and the Thunder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did what you might expect an All-Star to do. While pulling together a 31-point game, Gilgeous-Alexander rolled his ankle late in the third quarter. He was able to return and help deliver a win for the Thunder. He shot 9-of-17 from the field and racked up four steals.

One of the most exciting sequences of the game is when Isaiah Joe knocked down a 3-pointer, forced a turnover in the backcourt and followed that up with another 3-pointer. This accounted for two of Joe’s five first-half 3-pointers. The former Arkansas sharpshooter scored 20 points en route to the win.

The Thunder return to home for their next matchup, which comes against the Charlotte Hornets, who just knocked off the Mavericks in back-to-back games.

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