For 24 minutes, the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder went toe-to-toe with Portland. The teams traded leads, exchanged baskets, and reached halftime tied at 59. Then Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers turned a competitive game into a rout.
Portland outscored Oklahoma City 38-21 in the third quarter Tuesday night at the Moda Center, taking control behind Lillard’s shot-making and Deni Avdija’s playmaking. The defining moment came with 1.1 seconds remaining in the period, when Lillard launched a 30-foot three-pointer from just in front of the center-court logo over the outstretched arm of 7-foot-3 rookie Aday Mara.
The shot dropped. The building erupted. And the Trail Blazers carried a 97-80 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Oklahoma City never seriously threatened after that, falling 123-103 and seeing its four-game winning streak come to an end. The loss dropped the Thunder to 8-3, while Portland improved to 7-3 and snapped its own two-game skid.
Lillard finished with 25 points in just 23 minutes, tying his season high. Avdija added 24 points and eight assists, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced Oklahoma City with 26 points and eight rebounds.
The Turning Point: Lillard Takes Over
The third quarter began with Oklahoma City still in position to win the game.
Jared McCain briefly put the Thunder ahead 69-67 with a three-pointer early in the period. Ajay Mitchell later gave Oklahoma City a 71-70 advantage with 7:09 remaining.
That was the last time the Thunder held the lead.
Portland responded with nine consecutive points and scored 18 of the next 22, turning a one-point deficit into control of the game. Lillard was directly responsible for 12 points during the decisive stretch, either scoring himself or creating opportunities for teammates.
He answered McCain’s three with back-to-back deep shots, connecting from approximately 30 feet and 28 feet to push Portland’s lead to 79-71. He also mixed in a 22-foot pull-up jumper between the deep triples, then attacked the basket for a driving layup and threaded a pass to Robert Williams III for a two-handed dunk.
The Thunder had no answer for the combination of Lillard’s range and Portland’s ability to create space around him.
Avdija made sure the pressure never let up. He scored nine points and recorded three assists in the third quarter, helping Portland maintain its offensive rhythm whenever Oklahoma City focused additional attention on Lillard.
Avdija’s influence extended beyond the scoring column. He pushed the ball, attacked gaps, found open shooters, and consistently forced the Thunder to make difficult defensive decisions.
Then came the final possession.
With Portland leading by nine, Lillard walked the ball up the floor and used an early screen from Jrue Holiday to create separation. He launched from just in front of the pinwheel logo, sending a 30-foot shot over Mara’s outstretched arm as Alex Caruso chased from behind.
The ball went through with 1.1 seconds remaining.
Portland closed the quarter on an 8-0 run, and Lillard’s shot gave the Trail Blazers a 17-point cushion. The 19,367 fans inside Moda Center had their moment, and Oklahoma City had a mountain to climb.
Lillard finished 8-of-15 from the field, 4-of-10 from three-point range, and a perfect 5-of-5 at the free-throw line. He also recorded three rebounds, three assists, and a steal without committing a turnover. His plus-20 rating reflected just how much damage he did in his 23 minutes.
The Math Problem: Portland Won the Three-Point Battle by 33
The final score tells part of the story. The three-point numbers explain much of the rest.
Portland made 19 of 50 attempts from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City made eight of 22.
The percentages were nearly identical, with the Trail Blazers shooting 38% and the Thunder hitting 36.4%. The difference was volume. Portland attempted 28 more three-pointers and made 11 more, producing a staggering 33-point advantage from deep.
That margin exceeded the final 20-point difference.
Oklahoma City actually outscored Portland 58-42 inside the three-point line and held a 38-34 advantage in points in the paint. The Thunder also won the overall rebounding battle 45-44 and matched Portland with 11 offensive rebounds.
But Portland took seven more shots overall and made the most of its opportunities from the perimeter.
The Trail Blazers also had eight players connect from three-point range. Lillard led the way with four makes, Sidy Cissoko and Scoot Henderson added three apiece, and Avdija, Chris Youngblood, Jrue Holiday, and Toumani Camara each contributed two.
McCain was Oklahoma City’s most productive perimeter shooter, finishing 4-of-7 from three. The rest of the Thunder combined to shoot just 4-of-15 from beyond the arc, including a 0-for-4 night from Gilgeous-Alexander.
Donovan Clingan’s work on the glass also deserves attention. The Portland center finished with 13 rebounds, including four offensive boards, along with two blocks. Those extra possessions helped Portland maintain pressure and create additional opportunities for its perimeter attack.
The Thunder did not necessarily lose because they shot poorly from three. They lost because Portland kept shooting—and kept making enough of them to create a mathematical problem Oklahoma City could not solve.
Shai Leads, McCain Delivers, and the Young Rotation Contributes
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes. He shot 8-of-22 from the field and went 10-of-11 at the free-throw line.
He scored 12 points in the opening quarter and helped keep Oklahoma City within striking distance during the first half. Portland made life more difficult after the break, however, loading up on his drives and forcing the Thunder to find other sources of offense.
With the deficit reaching 22 points early in the fourth quarter and another game against Portland scheduled for tonight, Mark Daigneault kept Gilgeous-Alexander on the bench for the final period.
McCain provided one of the night’s brightest offensive performances. He scored 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. His early third-quarter three briefly put Oklahoma City ahead, and his perimeter shooting gave the Thunder an important scoring option.
Ajay Mitchell added 14 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting, while Bennett Stirtz contributed 13 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting.
Mara recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes. His night included the difficult assignment of contesting Lillard’s final shot of the third quarter, but his overall contribution provided Oklahoma City with an encouraging interior presence.
Nique Clifford also made his Thunder debut after being acquired from Sacramento. The second-year guard/forward finished with four points and four rebounds in nearly 20 minutes, beginning his integration into a rotation that has been stretched by injuries.
The Injury Situation
Oklahoma City entered the game without four of its key rotation players: Jalen Williams (ankle), Chet Holmgren (knee), Cason Wallace (shoulder), and Jaylin Williams (back spasms).
Those absences forced Daigneault to lean on a different starting group and place additional responsibility on the available players. The Thunder opened with Gilgeous-Alexander, McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Kenrich Williams, and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The injuries provide important context for the loss, particularly against a Portland team that found its rhythm offensively in the second half. But the immediate challenge for Oklahoma City is finding a way to defend the perimeter more effectively with the personnel available.
What’s Next: Immediate Opportunity for a Response
The Thunder won’t have much time to dwell on Tuesday’s performance. Oklahoma City and Portland remain at the Moda Center for the second game of their back-to-back tonight, with tipoff scheduled for 9 p.m. CST.
The first priority will be limiting Portland’s three-point volume without surrendering the driving lanes and interior opportunities that helped open the perimeter attack in the first place.
Oklahoma City showed in the first half that it could compete with the Trail Blazers. The second half showed how quickly that can change when an opponent gets comfortable from beyond the arc.
The Thunder have an opportunity to answer immediately. They’ll need a much better defensive performance to leave Portland with a split.