----- Damian Lillard scores 23 points and dishes out 13 assists as the Portland Trail Blazers finish up their four-game road trip at 3-1 with a 102-99 win over the Thunder Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
It was ugly, but the Portland Trail Blazers did just enough to sneak past the Thunder 102-99 Wednesday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The win gave Portland a 3-1 mark on the road after their first trip of the season.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 23 points and 13 assists, CJ McCollum scored 22, and Hassan Whiteside finished with a double-double scoring 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
Kent Bazemore came off the bench to add 14 points and five rebounds.
Lillard made just 4 of his first 15 shots, but he made three 3-pointers in an 86-second spurt in the fourth that turned a three-point deficit into a five-point lead. Blazers led the rest of the way.
The Blazers led 49-44 at halftime after shooting just 38.1% through two quarters. The Thunder battled back to take a 69-68 lead entering the final quarter.
Chris Paul scored 21 points, Dennis Schroder scored 17, and Nerlens Noel added 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Notes- Anthony Tolliver started his second-straight game at power forward in place of Zach Collins (left shoulder) scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds. Collins will be reevaluated when the team returns to Portland.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers return to Portland for a game against the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- It was ugly and the Trail Blazers didn't play well. But, I never nitpick wins on the road and they all count the same at the end of the year.