The Portland Trail Blazers and Oklahoma City Thunder engaged in Clash of the Titans 2 tonight at the Moda Center. Playing the part of the Kraken was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The deity-like MVP provided 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in 29 minutes. But Damian Lillard swooped in for his beloved Blazers like Pegasus-mounted Perseus defending Argos, hitting 4-10 from the three-point arc (including a buzzer-beater from the other side of the Mediterranean to end the third period) on his way to 25
points in 24 minutes of play.
In the end, the mobile and winged shots from Lillard defeated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Great and all of his forces. Portland won by a final score of 123-103.
The game was dead even through the first half as both teams tried to push an advantage inside, looking for quick layups (rare) or fouls (somewhat more common). From a knotted-at-59 score at intermission, the Blazers built a 97-81 lead at the end of three. Seven three-pointers in the third period for Portland put them ahead comfortably and they held on for the win.
These two teams will play again tomorrow, but for now it’s pretty nice that the Blazers bounced back from two tough losses with a win against a quality opponent. Stay tuned for analysis coming soon!
Boxscore
Portland and Oklahoma City go at it again tomorrow night with a 7:00 PM, Pacific start.
