2 Heroes and 2 zeroes in Trail Blazers' chaotic loss to Thunder

The Portland Trail Blazers fell to 2-4 on the season after suffering a 137-114 blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who remains one of the only undefeated teams in the association along with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Blazers were down ten points with 3:18 left in the second quarter but entered the half tied, shooting 50 percent (11-22) from beyond the arc in the first half. Surprisingly, they finished the game shooting a higher three-point percentage than the Thunder, connecting on 42.9 percent of their attempts beyond the arc compared to Oklahoma City's 38.8 percent.

But the deciding factor was in their turnovers. OKC had more steals (14) than turnovers (13), while Portland had eight steals and 19 turnovers—12 of which came in the third quarter alone. The Blazers were already entering the game with a significant disadvantage from a talent standpoint. They finished with the worst record in the West last season, while the Thunder finished tied with the best record in the conference. Losing the turnover battle so significantly was going to be too difficult for them to come back from.

But it shouldn't come as a surprise, as Portland has struggled in this category all season. The Blazers are in the bottom five in turnovers per game, while the Thunder are in the top five. Oklahoma City also leads the league in steals by a wide margin, and the discrepancy was apparent in this matchup.

Hero No. 1 : Rayan Rupert

The 20-year-old Rayan Rupert has now strung together two high-quality games for the Blazers. This time around, he recorded 14 points, two rebounds, one steal, and one block in 23 minutes of play. He shot 5-9 from the field, connecting on a career-high four of his seven three-point attempts. Rupert has been a difference-maker to start the 2024-25 season and has proven yet again that he deserves to stay in the rotation once Portland is fully healthy.

Zero No. 1: Anfernee Simons

Anfernee Simons finished the contest with nine points, six assists, and four rebounds on a highly inefficient 1-8 shooting from the field. Give credit to the Thunder, as they have multiple defensive hounds, particularly in their backcourt, who made life difficult for Simons. Still, at times, he seemed to force the issue too much, getting himself into trouble on drives deep into the paint with nowhere to go, given his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame.

Hero No. 2: Toumani Camara

Toumani Camara is becoming one of the most reliable starters for Portland in terms of what he brings on a nightly basis. Camara had 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals on 4-7 shooting from the field and 3-5 shooting from deep. Between Rupert and Camara, the two heroes of the game, as well as the addition of Deni Avdija and the emergence of second-year wing Kris Murray, the Blazers are now assembling a plethora of 3-and-D wings, something they haven't had in quite some time.

Zero No. 2: Deandre Ayton

Chet Holmgren picked up his fourth foul with 10:30 remaining in the third quarter. He was limited to just 18 minutes in the game. With Holmgren in foul trouble and Isaiah Hartenstein still out for an extended period with a left-hand fracture, this should have been Ayton's game for the taking. Instead, he finished with an uninspiring 14 points and five rebounds to go along with zero blocks.