Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31, Josh Giddey tallied a triple-double and the Oklahoma City Thunder zap the Portland Trail Blazers, 139-77.
There is no other way to put it. Two teams showed up. A basketball game was played. And the match was contested for all of two minutes. The Thunder absolutely atomized the Blazers to continue their winning ways en-route to 26-11 while the Blazers fall to 10-27.
Portland soldiered on without starting center Deandre Ayton and reserve forward Jabari Walker. Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon did not play on account of rest. Shaedon Sharpe left the game after reaggravating an adductor strain with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
Oklahoma played without injury and looked like a team clicking on all cylinders.
Stars All-Around For the Thunder
Gilgeous-Alexander continued his most valuable player campaign with a stellar game. He poured in 31 points, grabbed five rebounds and made four assists. He did most of his damage early and in the paint, slithering his way between defenders toward the rim.
Josh Giddey notched his first trip double of the season, finishing with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. He engineered easy buckets for his team and pushed the pace down the floor on 5-5 shooting.
Jalen Williams also played an ultra-efficient game, shooting 9-10 from the floor. Most of his points came at the rim as he finished for 21 points and seven rebounds. Chet Holmgren, for his part, feathered his cap for the rookie of the year campaign. He finished with 19 points, four rebounds and three assists.
For the Blazers, there were no stars. Only the abyss of a 4-13 shooting night for Anfernee Simons. He finished with a team-high 14. Fellow starting guard Scoot Henderson, not to be outdone, finished with 13 points on 4-21 from the floor.
The Zappening: How It Happened
Henderson started the game hot. He made a steal, transition dunk and then single-dribble three-pointer to push the Blazers lead to 5-0. Having given the Blazers their handicap, the Thunder responded with a 22-2 run. Giddey, Williams and Holmgren repeatedly punished the Blazers in the paint.
Then it got worse. Holding on down 12, Portland and Oklahoma entered a game of attrition. With the Thunder putting the clamps on Anfernee Simons, they battered the Blazers defense and earned a 39-15 second quarter. Zone, man-to-man, trapping, it did not matter. Oklahoma pummeled Portland for 52 paint points and left the Blazers for dead 75-39.
Except they didn’t.
The Thunder returned out of the break like a grizzly bear with a bad attitude. The Blazers? They were Leonardo Dicaprio. Forget the individual players, the Thunder writ-large savaged their guests 43-17 in the third quarter. Alexander, Holmgren, Williams, Lu Dort, Ousmane Dieng, Cason Wallace, once again, it did not matter.
Not content to beat Portland inside, Oklahoma’s bench changed tack. They started hitting from outside as the Blazers laid brick after brick. Thunder Coach Mark Daigneault could have started the towelboys in the fourth and his team would have probably still won by 20.
Instead, he settled for first-degree murder on a basketball court as the Thunder zap the Blazers, 139-77.
The Stats Are a Battlefield Blood Bath
The Blazers attempted 101 shots. They made 28. That’s a stunning season-low of 27.7%. The Thunder made 53 out of 93 attempts for 57.0%. At the halftime break, Portland was on pace to outshoot Oklahoma from beyond the arc. The Blazers finished 11-49 for 22.4% and the Thunder landed at a gentle 14-35 or 40%.
Oklahoma also found plenty of profit at the line, finishing 19-22 (86.4%). Portland struggled to a 10-16 mark (62.5%). The Thunder pulverized the Blazers in rebounds, 59-42, assists, 41-16, and paint points, 70-30. They edged the Blazers in fast break points, 14-11.
Portland forced more turnovers, made more steals, and matched blocks and points off turnovers. But I ask you: at what cost?
Where to Next?
The Thunder will take a day of rest before hosting the Orlando Magic on Saturday. The Blazers, for their (lack of) efforts, finish up their road trip against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
