Just 24 hours after defeating Oklahoma City, the Portland Trail Blazers met the Thunder once again on Wednesday and walked away with another victory, earning a 118–108 decision. Deni Avdija continued his red-hot start to the campaign, pouring in 28 points to match his season high on 9-of-20 shooting from the floor, 4-of-13 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. He rounded out his 34 minutes of action with two rebounds, six assists, a career-high-tying four steals, two blocks, and five turnovers.
Balanced attack outlasts depleted Thunder
Behind a dominant 28–18 second quarter, the Israeli and his teammates carried a 56–50 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Avdija paced Portland through the opening two quarters with 12 points, picking up the slack amid a sluggish shooting night from Damian Lillard. Early in the third, Sidy Cissoko stretched the margin to a game-high 64–52, only for a short-handed Thunder squad to mount a comeback behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and reclaim the lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Jared McCain was assessed a flagrant foul after striking Avdija in the back. The Israeli remained down on the hardwood for several moments before shaking off the blow, staying in the contest, and taking over down the stretch. Avdija nudged Portland back ahead 99–98 with 5:15 to play, and following a scoring drought from both sides, buried a crucial three-pointer to extend the cushion to 106–100 with 2:40 remaining. Lillard capped a late surge of his own with a strong drive and a pair of free throws, before Avdija sealed the win with a steal and an exclamation-point dunk on the fast break.
Balanced attack outlasts depleted Thunder
Balanced scoring fueled the c, with six players reaching double figures. Cissoko proved to be the X-factor with 19 points (4-of-7 from three), while Jrue Holiday added 19 off the bench. Lillard eventually finished with 18 points despite going 2-of-10 from deep, Toumani Camara contributed 14, Robert Williams notched 10, and Donovan Clingan chipped in five.
For Oklahoma City, Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 31 points (9-of-20 from the field, 0-of-7 from three, 13-of-14 from the stripe), and Isaiah Hartenstein posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Head coach Mark Daigneault was once again forced to navigate a severely depleted lineup - this time also missing Ajay Mitchell - relying on just four reserves: Kenrich Williams, Micah Peavy, Nique Clifford, and Bennett Stirtz.
With the win, Portland sits fourth in the Western Conference standings, deadlocked with Minnesota and Golden State and trailing only Houston (9–3), San Antonio (10–2), and the Los Angeles Lakers (11–2). The Trail Blazers now set out on a six-game road trip featuring stops in Sacramento, Minnesota (for a two-game set), Milwaukee, New York, and Philadelphia.