The Portland Trail Blazers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game of Western Conference mid-tier hopefuls.
As expected, the game started as a back-and-forth affair with the Blazers and the Thunder exchanging blows.
Damian Lillard was all over the place early. He either scored or assisted on nine of the Blazers’ first 10 buckets, and the Blazers had a modest lead midway through the quarter.
As boos rained down from the Moda Center every time Raymond Felton touched the ball, the Blazers kept their lead. Heading into the second, it was 28-20 Blazers.
Star through Q1 – Damian Lillard – 6 points, 7 assists
If there were any hopes that OKC would go quietly, they were quickly shattered.
The Thunder pasted three quick buckets on the Blazers to start the second, cutting the lead to two.
The Blazers kept feeding Jusuf Nurkic, who had 10 first-quarter points, and he rewarded the Blazers by pinning a Westbrook layup against the backboard with authority.
The game got a bit sloppy, and the scoring slowed to a trickle.
CJ McCollum did set a bit of team history, however:
And now @CJMcCollum sit alone in 6th in franchise history in three-pointers with 493 and counting.
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) November 6, 2017
The quarter ended in a frenzy, as whatever was clogging up the scoring for both teams suddenly shook loose.
The Blazers waltzed into the locker room with a 50-46 halftime lead.
Star through Q2 – Jusuf Nurkic – 15 points (7-9 FG), 5 boards, 1 block
While it didn’t show up in the box score, we should take a moment to praise Noah Vonleh. Vonleh was bumped and pushed, didn’t get calls, and was whistled for a questionable foul on the other end.
The Blazers need some more toughness. Vonleh has that.
Lillard continued to sweep and swoop around the defense at the cup, twisting for looks that few other players could convert. Meanwhile, the Blazers’ lead ticked up, and they were ahead 68-57 with 4:26 left in the quarter.
And that’s when one of the oddest plays you’ll ever see went down.
Carmelo Anthony drove to the hoop, and Nurkic came to contest. On the way up, Melo drew the foul, Nurkic got hit in the face, and Melo went to the line.
BUT WAIT!
With Nurk on the floor writhing in pain, the officials decided to peek at the replay. It showed Anthony’s arms going well out of their way to meet Nurk’s head.
The refs concluded that Melo had sought the contact with an unnatural act.
No free throws for Melo. Flagrant 2. And Melo was ejected.
The Blazers took full advantage, and in an instant, their lead was 16.
The Thunder turned up the defense, and the third quarter ended with the Blazers up 78-67.
Star through Q3 – Damian Lillard – 27 points, 10 assists
Unfortunately, the Blazers kept bleeding points, and found their lead trimmed to 78-71 with 9:00 to go.
A Nurkic postup gave Portland a sorely-needed bucket, but the game was far from over. The Thunder struck back, and the lead was just five.
Nurk delivered again, this time with a three-point play after getting fouled on a spinning jumper.
As time wound down, Portland couldn’t stop turning the ball over, and OKC pulled closer. A wild bounce on a Westbrook drive pulled OKC within three with 3:41 left.
In a critical series, Evan Turner took and missed an ill-advised three. Russell Westbrook then had a relatively open three… and he missed! Lillard pushed the pace, drove, got fouled, and hit the and-one to put the Blazers up six with a little more than 3:00 left.
Back and forth it went. And you couldn’t catch your breath.
CJ hit a three. Then Paul George hit a three… before CJ drained ANOTHER. Then WESTBROOK knocked one down.
Portland’s lead was two, 96-94, 40 seconds left, Blazers ball.
Dame drove and converted, flexing back down the court to put the Blazers up four.
On the other end, Evan Turner knocked Westbrook on the elbow on a three-point attempt. As the crowd went sour, Westbrook missed the first. Then then second! Frustrated, he tried intentionally missing the third, but there was a Thunder lane violation. Blazers ball!
Portland hit both on the other end, but Paul George hit a three, pulling OKC to within three.
The Blazers turned the ball over AGAIN (!!!), only to get it back right away as the entire arena gasped and exhaled in record time.
Evan Turner only hit one of two free throws after being fouled, but it didn’t matter. Up four with time slipping away, all the Blazers needed to do was play smart and take care of the ball.
Mercifully for Blazers fans, Portland did just that, taking a quality win (their best of the year) against a division and conference opponent, 103-99.
Star of the Game – Damian Lillard – 36 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds
Co-Star of the Game – Jusuf Nurkic – 25 points (11-15 FG), 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks
Three Takeaways
Fast starts are good. While OKC’s Carmelo Anthony had no trouble getting buckets to start off, Portland countered with a blistering offense of their own. Beyond the lead it helped build, the Blazers need quick starts to prevent their energy from sagging. A poor start can set a poor tone for the rest of the game. That was not an issue tonight.
A well-fed Nurk is a hungry Nurk. Oxymoron? Maybe. But the principle is simple enough. Give Nurk looks in the pick-and-roll and in the post, and he’s probably going to play better. His first half couldn’t have been any more sparkling, going 7-9 for 15 points and two blocks. It seems like the Blazers received the message Nurk sent in the Utah Jazz game earlier this week: you have to feed your big men.
Turnovers are bad. The Blazers had 21 turnovers, and a good chunk of them came during the pivotal fourth quarter. The Blazers aren’t good enough to absorb that many mistakes. And there’s nothing more infuriating than watching your lead evaporate because of your own foolishness. Even down the stretch, with the game in the balance, Portland allowed loose dribbles and bad passes to threaten the game. They just can’t do that if they want to be taken seriously.
Next Game
The Blazers play the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday at 7pm Pacific.