Only three teams have defeated the the Oklahoma City Thunder this season: the Minnesota Timberwolves, the San Antonio Spurs (3 times!), and your Portland Trail Blazers. Could the Blazers finish 2025 with
a second win against the Thunder and in the process knot the season series at 2-2?
Lol, no.
The Thunder reminded the Blazers why they are a team favored to win another NBA title, while the Blazers are favored to win fewer than half of their games. When the Thunder were locked in, they brushed aside Portland like the mildly annoying shorthanded team with 14 wins that they are. When Oklahoma City lost focus, which happened quite a bit this evening, the Blazers whittled away at the lead and give the Oklahoma City coaches something to yell at their team about. Those spurts only lasted a few minutes, and there was no real danger. The Thunder may have played with their food at times, but they had Portland right where they wanted them and never let any Blazers runs gain any impactful momentum.
The game was basically decided by half time, and the Thunder still won every quarter. It finished 125-94, a rout of a score line that somehow still flattered the Blazers.
Let’s look at a some developments from the game.
Turnovers
The Blazers committed 8 turnovers in the first quarter, leading to 10 Thunder points. Six different Blazers coughed it up in those twelve minutes, with Deni Avdija responsible for three turnovers all by himself. The net result was a lead of eight points for the Thunder at the end of the first, a margin that would never be seriously threatened. Portland reduced their turnover binge in the second quarter, but they flared up again in the second half some, with the final tally being 24. Avdija notched seven for the game, while Toumani Camara added five of his own.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
What can you say that hasn’t been said? Gilgeous-Alexander had an easy 30 points on 73.3% (!!!) shooting from the field. Any time he wanted he could receive the ball at the top of the paint, lean his shoulder towards the basket, take a step back and drill a jumper. When he got bored with that he just needed to drive to the hoop. He either got a whistle or a harmless escort to the basket. Those seemed to be the only two options. It’s a good reminder that as good as Avdija has been this season, there are levels to this stuff. Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just on another level, he’s on another planet whenever he wants to be.
Avdija as Point Guard Isn’t Ideal
The Blazers have Avdija playing as the primary ball handler at the top of the key so much that I’ve had multiple fans of opposing teams in the the last month tell me that they thought he is a point guard. Well, he’s not. I understand why he’s there so much. Until Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson are back it’s just going to be a fact of life.
This game was a prime example of how good teams can take advantage of this positional compromise the Blazers are making. When the Thunder were locked in, they’d let Avdija bring the ball up and watch him make an initial move toward the basket. At that moment two, or even three, defenders would collapse on him from all sides, not only blocking his path to the basket, but also making a kick-out fraught with peril. When Avdija has room to operate we’ve all seen how positive the results can be. When he’s burdened with both ball-handling and being the primary scoring threat, good defensive teams can be disruptive and generate turnovers. It’s a credit to Avdija that he still managed 17 points, but a ruthless Thunder defense made him a non-factor in deciding the game.
Shaedon Sharpe
This was one of those games for Sharpe that tantalized what could be while being heavily balanced against the reality of what Shaedon Sharpe currently is. His multiple 1-on-1 steals leading to run outs were mouth-watering. His athleticism was off the charts as usual. A look at the stat sheet shows 29.4% shooting from the field and 0% shooting from deep. It’s perhaps unfair to single Sharpe out when so many Blazers weren’t up to the challenge, but it’s fair to say that the good with Sharpe tonight was more than balanced out by the not so hot.
Robert Williams III
If there was a tiny glimmer of light this evening, we’d have to highlight Robert Williams. He was the only Blazer to finish with a positive plus/minus. H caught the eye by making the very most of his 16 minutes, playing his role with aplomb. Eight points along with eight rebounds and 100% shooting is the type of score line that you absolutely love to see from him. It might just be the type of outing that makes a contender think harder about making a move for him.
Up Next
Portland will kick off the New Year by facing the last-place New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, January 2nd for another 5pm Pacific tip.
