The Thunder played to its identity. Substantial defense and great ball movement lead to great looks, but while the Thunder struggled to convert, the Trail Blazers made key shots in key moments.
Game Flow
The Thunder did everything with the right intention. They executed, moved the ball, and defended strongly for four quarters. Aggressive drives to the lane generated open looks on the perimeter. The only problem – the shots wouldn’t fall.
“I thought we generated really, really good shots, and we sustained it for most of the game,” said Thunder head coach Billy Donovan. “We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well around the basket, nor from behind the line.”
After putting up only 17 points in the first quarter, the Thunder found themselves in a battle that resulted in 15 lead changes and nine ties. Neither team finished the first half with over fifty points and with the Thunder only down four, it was shaping up to be a see-saw match for the remaining 24 minutes. That is, until a surge in the third quarter brought some momentum to the Thunder offense. The ball zipped around the floor and made its way into open Thunder hands. It was during the third frame that the Thunder grew its biggest lead of the night with a five-point advantage.
The lead, however, was short lived. Portland mustered a few key stops and buckets from behind the arc and what was once a five-point lead, had dwindled quickly to one. It was a fight to maintain a not-so-comfortable one-point lead going into the fourth quarter especially with Portland catching fire from behind the arc led by Damian Lillard who went 3-4 from the 3-point line in the fourth quarter to add to his game-high 23 points. Rodney Hood chipped in two of his own treys in crunch time to seal the deal.
“We got to the free-throw line quite a bit, which kept it close, but the 3-point probably line was the difference, and we just did not shoot it certainly as well as they did or as timely as they did,” said Donovan.
The Thunder finished the game shooting only 14.8% from the 3-point line making only four triples on the evening. Despite its less-than-stellar shooting night, Chris Paul led the Thunder offense with 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. With the Thunder playing without Steven Adams who is recovering from a left knee contusion, the Thunder saw substantial minutes from Nerlens Noel who recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Also recording a double-double for the Thunder was Hamidou Diallo who tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Decisive Moments
The Thunder battled back in the 4th quarter after a 16-6 run by the Blazers left Oklahoma City down five with under four minutes to play. With less than a minute on the clock, a dish under the rim from Chris Paul to Nerlens Noel brought the Thunder back within two points. After a quick Thunder timeout, the Thunder set its defense with 45 seconds remaining and only a bucket separating it from Portland. Damian Lillard brought the ball across half court and exploded toward the rim, attracting help side defense from the corner where he kicked it out to Rodney Hood who knocked down the corner 3 to make it a two-possession ball game with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Play of the Game
A poor ball-screen between Hassan Whiteside and C.J. McCollum resulted in a perfect opportunity for lighting quick Dennis Schröder who snapped at the opportunity. While the ball hung gingerly in open space for a split second, Schröder swiped it free. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scooped it up and took off down the floor with Hamidou Diallo blazing across the opposite sideline. After drawing two defenders, Gilgeous-Alexander delivered the ball to Diallo in stride to finish easily at the rim in a flawless illustration of defense turning into offense.
Stat of the Night
3 Despite 17 3-pointers from Portland compared to four from the Thunder, only three points separated the Thunder from the Trail Blazers. The Thunder managed to keep themselves in the game with consistently aggressive defense and getting to the foul line on offense.
“Seventeen to four from the 3-point line and we still had an opportunity to win that game,” said Donovan. “I think that speaks to how well these guys defended and how they tried to play. Generally, when you see that kind of disparity from the 3-point line, it’s usually a 20-point loss. I think that speaks to how hard these guys competed.”
Quotes of the Night
“This game we played the right way. It’s a make or miss in these situations but you want to try to generate good shots for each other and I thought our guys really played with the right intention today on both ends of the floor.” – Head Coach Billy Donovan
Looking Ahead
The Thunder looks ahead toward its next test against the New Orleans Pelicans back in Chesapeake Energy Arena on Saturday at 4 p.m.