Player grades: Thunder fall apart in crunch time in 118-108 loss to Trail Blazers
Player grades for the Oklahoma City Thunder's 118-108 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a 118-108 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, struggling in clutch time during their stay at Moda Center. Starting with Alex Caruso, the Thunder played with better energy in the first quarter, leading 32-28. However, the Trail Blazers surged with a 24-8 run in the second quarter, fueled by outside jumpers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to get to the rim, shooting contested jumpers instead. The Thunder fell to a 56-50 deficit at halftime. In the third quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander returned to scoring, but the Blazers kept up with timely outside jumpers. The Thunder's defense improved, but the supporting cast couldn't overcome the Trail Blazers' shooting from the outside.
Active players included Gilgeous-Alexander (31 points, 4 rebounds), Isaiah Hartenstein (20 points, 11 rebounds), Caruso (14 points, 7 rebounds), and Jared McCain (10 points). The Trail Blazers outshot the Thunder from the field (46%-42%) and 3-point range (38.8%-30.6%).
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