Trail Blazers Game Notes: Portland Trail Blazers (27-51) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (23-55)

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (27-51) AT OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (23-55)

Tuesday, April 5 • 5:00 p.m. (Pacific) • Paycom Center

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

ALL TIME: Thunder lead 126-120

PORTLAND HOME: Trail Blazers lead, 78-46

THUNDER HOME: Thunder lead, 80-42

LAST PORTLAND WIN: 133-85, 4/3/21 (Por.)

LAST OKLAHOMA CITY WIN: 134-131 (OT), 3/28/22 (Por.)

CURRENT WIN STREAK: Three (OKC)

• Tuesday's game marks the final of four games between Portland and Oklahoma City this season. The Thunder have won all three games in the season series.

• LAST MEETING: Portland lost to Oklahoma City 134-131 in overtime at Moda Center on March 28. Drew Eubanks led the Trail Blazers with a career-high 27 points along with 14 boards while Brandon Williams scored 25 points with 12 assists. Isaiah Roby led the Thunder with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists while Aaron Wiggins chipped in 28 points, five boards and six assists.

• In the month of March, both teams ranked in the Top 10 in fast break points, Portland at ninth with 14.6 per game and Oklahoma City at 10th with 14.2.

• Both teams are in the top half of the league in attempts from beyond the arc, the Trail Blazers sit at ninth with 37 attempts per game while the Thunder rank seventh with 37.7 attempts.

• Since March 1, Portland ranks fourth with 8.8 steals per game while Oklahoma City ranks ninth with 7.9.

• In his last five games against the Thunder, Drew Eubanks has recorded two double-doubles and averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.20 blocks.

• Ben McLemore has averaged 8.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists across his last five games against Oklahoma City.

• Kris Dunn has scored in double-figures in two of his last five games against the Thunder, averaging 7.6 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds in those five games.

• Isaiah Roby has averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in four career games against Portland, scoring in double-figures three times and recording one double-double.

• In his last five games against the Trail Blazers, Theo Maledon has averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, recording a double-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the March matchup.

• Olivier Sarr has averaged 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in his last five games, including a career-high 24 points Sunday against the Suns.

KEON JOHNSON CAREER HIGH: Keon Johnson recorded the first 20-point game of his career at San Antonio on April 1, shooting 8-of-15 from the field (4-6 3-PT) while adding three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 25 minutes. Johnson has started six consecutive games for Portland, dating back to March 25, scoring in double-figures in five of those games while averaging 14.5 points on 44.7% shooting (44.1% 3-PT), 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.20 steals and 0.70 blocks.

DIDI RETURNS: Didi Louzada returned from injury and made his Trail Blazers debut on March 30 vs. his former team, New Orleans, scoring five points, grabbing two rebounds and recording his first career block, in 11 minutes of action.

MONEY IN THE BANK: Drew Eubanks scored 10+ points on 50% or better shooting in 11 straight games from March 14-30. The longest streak in Trail Blazers history belongs to Rasheed Wallace at 14 games. Eubanks has scored in double figures in 13 straight games, marking the longest streak of his career.

STEALING THEIR THUNDER: Portland recorded 17 steals vs. Oklahoma City in an OT loss on March 28, a season-high for the Trail Blazers and the most in a single-game for the franchise since December 9, 2000 vs. Detroit.

BRANDON'S WILL: Brandon Williams scored 25 points (8-20 FG, 5-8 3-PT, 4-6 FT) with four rebounds, 12 assists and four steals in vs. Oklahoma City on March 28, joining Stephen Curry as the only rookies in NBA history to record at least 10 assists and four steals while making at least five three-pointers in a single game. He also joined Damian Lillard as the only Portland rookie in the draft lottery era to record 25 points and 10 assists in a single game. Williams ranked sixth in scoring (15.4 ppg), tied for sixth in assists (4.1 apg) and fourth in steals (1.3 spg) among all rookies for the month of March.

FROM TROUTDALE: Drew Eubanks scored a career-high 27 points with 14 rebounds vs. OKC on March 28, marking his sixth double-double of the season and fifth with Portland. Eubanks has averaged 14.0 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19 games for the Trail Blazers.

BEN THERE, DONE THAT: Ben McLemore scored 28 points off the bench vs. OKC on March 28, shooting 10-of-22 from the field and 8-of-18 from three. It marked the seventh time this season Ben has made five-plus three-pointers off the bench, the most in a single-season in franchise history and eighth-most in the NBA this season.

Game #78 - San Antonio 113, Portland 92 — April 3, 2022, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

Portland dropped the second of two weekend games in San Antonio, 113-92 ... Keon Johnson led the Trail Blazers starting unit with 19 points (8-15 FG, 3-7 3-PT), three rebounds, two assists and one block ... Drew Eubanks tallied a double-double with 13 points (5-11 FG, 1-2 3-PT, 2-4 FT), 13 rebounds, one assist and one steal ... Greg Brown III scored 14 points (4-8 FG, 4-5 3-PT, 2-2 FT) with two boards, one assist and one steal ... Ben McLemore added 19 points (6-14 FG, 4-11 3-PT, 3-3 FT), one rebound, three assists and one steal in 25 minutes off the bench ... CJ Elleby added eight points (3-6 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 0-2 FT), four boards, one assist and one block ... Brandon Williams dished seven assists and scored five points (2-9 FG, 1-5 3-PT) with three rebounds, one steal and one block ... Keldon Johnson led the Spurs with 28 points, two boards, two assists and one block.

Game #77 - San Antonio 130, Portland 111 — April 1, 2022, AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas

The Trail Blazers fell to the Spurs in the first of consecutive games at AT&T Center, 130-111 ... Eight players scored in double figures for the Trail Blazers, led by Keon Johnson with a season-high 20 points (8-15 FG, 4-6 3-PT), three rebounds, three assists and one steal ... Brandon Williams added 17 points (4-10 FG, 3-4 3-PT, 6-7 FT), four rebounds, three assists and one steal ... Greg Brown III started his second straight game, totaling 13 points, nine rebounds, one assist and two steals ... Drew Eubanks scored in double figures for the 12th straight contest, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal ... The Spurs assisted on 34 of their 46 field goals ... Devin Vassell led eight Spurs players in double figures, finishing with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists ... Zach Collins had 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks off the bench.Game #76 - New Orleans 117, Portland 107 — March 30, 2022, Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

Portland fell to New Orleans 117-107 in an emotional night with the return of CJ McCollum to Moda Center ... Drew Eubanks led the Trail Blazers with 21 points (10-12 FG, 1-2 3-PT), nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block ... Brandon Williams dropped a double-double for the second consecutive game, scoring 10 points (4-10 FG, 2-6 3-PT) and dishing 10 assists ... Ben McLemore dropped 16 points (5-12 FG, 3-10 3-PT, 3-3 FT) off the bench ... Reggie Perry appeared in his first game since signing back with Portland, scoring a career-high 15 points and grabbing six boards ... Didi Louzada returned from injury and scored five points with two rebounds ... Greg Brown III made his first career start and scored nine points with three rebounds, three assists and a block ... CJ McCollum led New Orleans with 25 points (9-16 FG, 3-6 3-PT, 4-8 FT), three rebounds and four assists.

Game #75 - Oklahoma City 134, Portland 131 — March 28, 2022, Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

Portland lost to Oklahoma City 134-131 in overtime despite holding a lead after halftime and the third quarter ... Drew Eubanks scored a career-high 27 points and recorded his second straight double-double, grabbing 14 rebounds with three assists, three steals and two blocks ... Brandon Williams recorded his first career double-double, scoring 25 points (8-20 FG, 5-8 3-PT, 4-6 FT) with a career-high 12 assists, plus four rebounds and four steals ... Ben McLemore continued his hot streak, scoring 28 points (10-22 FG, 8-18 3-PT) off the bench with two rebounds ... Keon Johnson scored a career-high 17 points with five rebounds, four steals and two assists ... Kris Dunn and Keljin Blevins both scored 10 points off the bench ... Isaiah Roby led the Thunder with 30 points, eight boards and four assists while Aaron Wiggins scored 28 points with five rebounds and six assists.

Game #74 - Houston 115, Portland 98 — March 26, 2022, Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

Portland dropped the second game of a back-to-back with Houston 115-98 at Moda Center ... Drew Eubanks dropped a double-double with 14 points (5-9 FG, 0-1 3-PT, 4-8 FT), a career-high 15 rebounds, two assists and two steals ... Trendon Watford tallied the second double-double of his career, scoring 15 points (7-11 FG, 1-2 FT) with 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals ... Brandon Williams scored 15 points (6-15 FG, 1-6 3-PT, 2-2 FT) with eight assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block ... Keon Johnson dropped 14 points (5-15 FG, 4-9 3-PT) with two rebounds and two blocks ... Ben McLemore recorded his sixth consecutive game in double-figures, scoring 11 points (3-6 FG, 2-4 3-PT, 3-3 FT) with two rebounds and two steals off the bench ... Jalen Green led Houston with 25 points, six rebounds and two assists while Kenyon Martin Jr. added 27 off the bench.

For the Trail Blazers, Eric Bledsoe (left Achilles; tendinopathy), Josh Hart (left knee; patellar tendinopathy), Joe Ingles (left knee recovery), Damian Lillard (core muscle recovery), Nassir Little (left shoulder recovery), Jusuf Nurkic (left foot; plantar fasciitis), Anfernee Simons (left knee; patellar tendinopathy), Trendon Watford (left knee; bone contusion) and Justise Winslow (left calf inflammation) are out for Tuesday’s game at Oklahoma City.

For the Thunder, Darius Bazley (right knee; non-displaced tibial plateau fracture), Luguentz Dort (left shoulder; surgery), Derrick Favors (low back; soreness), Josh Giddey (right hip; soreness), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right ankle; soreness), Ty Jerome (sports hernia surgery), Tre Mann (right hamstring; strain), Mike Muscala (right ankle; surgery) and Kenrich Williams (left knee; sprain) are out.

Tuesday’s game can be seen locally on ROOT SPORTS with Kevin Calabro, Lamar Hurd and Brooke Olzendam calling the action. On the radio side, Travis Demers, Michael Holton and Jay Allen will have the call on Rip City Radio 620 AM and on all of the stations of the Deschutes Brewery Trail Blazers Radio Network.