----- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 44 points and seven assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder outscored the Portland Trail Blazers 138-129 Friday night at Moda Center in Portland.
Thunder cruise in Portland.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a game-high 44 points on 13-of-16 shooting, Josh Giddy scored 19, and Lou Dort added 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting as the Oklahoma City Thunder topped the Portland Trail Blazers 138-129 Friday night at Moda Center.
Damian Lillard led Portland (27-29) with 38 points and nine assists and Jerami Grant added 23. The newly-acquired Cam Reddish was placed into the starting lineup by Chauncy Billups. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting. On Wednesday night, the Blazers traded Josh Hart to the New York Knicks in exchange for Reddish and a 2023 lottery-protected first round pick.
The primary reasons for the Blazers demise on Friday were turnovers and lack of size. Portland committed 20 turnovers leading to 28 points for the Thunder and were outscored 70-42 in the paint.
The Trail Blazers led 112-103 with 10:01 to play after Anfernee Simons drained a three-pointer. The Thunder responded with a 33-9 run to put the game away.
There was drama Friday night surrounding the Blazers: Guard Gary Payton II, sent to the Warriors in a four-team trade, had reportedly flunked his physical putting the trade in jeopardy.
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin spoke to the media before the game and said he had only just seen the news, first reported by The Athletic, and could not comment.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will host the Los Angeles Lakers Monday nigh at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- With each passing day, the lottery becomes a real possibility.