Deni Avdija scored 28 points as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-108 to complete a two-game sweep.
The Story
Deni Avdija scored 28 points and Damian Lillard added 18 as the Portland Trail Blazers completed a two-game sweep of the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 118-108 win on Wednesday night in Portland, Ore.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 31 points for Oklahoma City, including 23 in the second half, while Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Portland’s Donovan Clingan recorded 12 rebounds and three blocks, and Jrue Holiday contributed 19 points off the bench.
Oklahoma City trailed by 12 in the third quarter before a 3-pointer by Nique Clifford tied the game at 88 with 11:11 left. After a loose ball, Kenrich Williams scored on a layup to give the Thunder their first lead since the first half and prompted a Portland timeout with 10:41 remaining.
Portland took control in the fourth quarter as Avdija and Lillard combined for 20 of the team’s 30 points. Lillard’s 3-pointer at 6:17 cut the lead to 94-93, and after Gilgeous-Alexander free throws and a Robert Williams III putback, the Blazers regained the lead 99-98 on Avdija free throws with 5:24 left.
A Lillard floater pushed Portland ahead 108-100 with two minutes to play. Gilgeous-Alexander made free throws to make it 108-102, but Lillard answered with a driving layup to extend the lead to 110-102. Jared McCain hit a 3-pointer with 1:19 left to pull Oklahoma City within 110-105, and Lillard’s free throws made it 112-105 with a minute remaining.
Portland trailed by as many as nine but finished the first half with a 15-4 run, starting after a technical foul on Thunder coach Mark Daigenault. Holiday hit a 3-pointer with 1:13 left to make it 54-45.
Oklahoma City next visits the L.A. Clippers on Friday night, while Portland visits Sacramento on Friday night.
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