OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma City Thunder escaped Wednesday with another close win against the Portland Trail Blazers, 101-98.
In a poetic ending, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander iced the game at the free-throw line to give the Thunder a three-point lead with less than a second remaining on the clock.
It was a fitting way to seal the game. Gilgeous-Alexander had more visits at the free-throw line than the entire Trail Blazers team: 13 to nine.
That was essentially the difference in the game as both teams shot similarly from the field and from outside.
After his historic Monday that saw him become the franchise leader in points, Damian Lillard was held in check.
In 36 minutes, Lillard finished with 16 points on 6-of-19 shooting and 2-of-11 from three. With the game close, the Thunder — specifically Lu Dort — did a good job at limiting Lillard’s fourth-quarter production to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting.
“When a fight breaks out, he’s there for the fight and he was there for the fight tonight,” said Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault about Dort’s defense.
Jerami Grant also contributed with 17 points. Josh Hart scored 13 points, and Anfernee Simons scored 12 points. In his return, Jusuf Nurkic finished with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Let’s take a look at Thunder player grades from this three-point win as they extend their winning streak to three games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-minus
By his standards this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a meh night.
In 35 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting and went 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. His two most important attempts came late in the game, where he essentially finished it as the Thunder had a three-point lead with less than a second left.
At multiple times, Gilgeous-Alexander received MVP chants that grew louder as time went on. When asked about the chants, he said that while he’s getting used to them, it’s still a cool moment to experience every time.
“I would say I’m getting more used to them as they continue. But it’s always fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Really appreciate them for sure.”
Gilgeous-Alexander continues to build upon a strong All-Star campaign. When asked about how much it would mean to him to make his first All-Star appearance this season, he spoke highly about the possibility.
“It would be an honor,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s something that I know I dream about.”
Shai drains the stepback!
Next to rep the Thunder standard.
Vote Shai: https://t.co/h3lk5UXpyt pic.twitter.com/FOyHjBbpPF— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 22, 2022
Lu Dort: A
Lu Dort gets an A simply for his defense on Damian Lillard.
As Josh Giddey mentioned after the game. Dort played a huge role in this win due to his ability to limit Lillard to 16 points on 19 shots.
The biggest stop by Dort on the night came with under nine seconds left in the game. With the Trail Blazers trailing by one point, Lillard brought the ball up and tried to finesse his way to the basket.
Instead, Lillard quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen against Dort and settled for a highly contested long two that was airballed.
When Dort is on with his defense, it’s special to see him lock up some of the best scorers in the league.
Dort also contributed with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting in his 38 minutes.
Just an overall awesome night for Dort on both ends of the floor.
Lu & JDub find one another from deep! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/443ShDA1bY
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 22, 2022
Skip to my Lu! pic.twitter.com/sTLbYEmSCl
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 22, 2022
Josh Giddey: B
Josh Giddey made his return after a two-game absence dealing with a non-COVID illness. The illness was serious enough that Daigneault was caught by surprise at his ability to play 31 minutes.
Giddey finished with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, six assists and six rebounds. That is more impressive considering Giddey admitted after the game he lost 10 pounds while sick.
Josh Giddey has a multitude of dimes! 😧 pic.twitter.com/xMlAy77odb
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 22, 2022
Giddey vision on high alert to find Lu 👀
Consistently progressing.
Vote Thunder: https://t.co/h3lk5UXpyt pic.twitter.com/1uLqxN364U— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 22, 2022
Giddey gets things going! pic.twitter.com/c8kviqrArf
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 22, 2022
