{
  "id": 19617313,
  "title": "Damian Lillard and Blazers send shockwaves with 2 straight wins vs. Thunder",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/damian-lillard-and-blazers-send-shockwaves-with-2-straight-wins-vs",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-12T07:10:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/damian-lillard-blazers-send-shockwaves-071006568.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Portland Trail Blazers have sent shockwaves through the Western Conference with two straight victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Damian Lillard and his team demonstrated their dominance once again, defeating the shorthanded Thunder 118-108 at Moda Center on Wednesday. The Blazers' impressive back-to-back wins have drawn attention across the league. Lillard, the team's leading scorer, set the tone in Tuesday's opener with 25 points and a crucial 38-21 third-quarter surge that ended Oklahoma City's four-game winning streak. On Wednesday, Lillard continued to shine, contributing 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the fourth quarter, including a game-sealing triple and receiving \"MVP\" chants in the final minute. The Trail Blazers' balanced attack, featuring players such as Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, and Sidy Cissoko, overwhelmed the Thunder throughout the game. The Blazers' defense also played a crucial role, holding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder's star guard, to just 0-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Despite playing without injured starters Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and Cason Wallace, the Thunder were unable to contain the Blazers' fierce offensive and defensive performances. As a result, the Thunder's record dropped to 8-4, while the Blazers climbed to 8-3, cementing their status as a legitimate Western Conference contender.",
  "summary": "The Portland Trail Blazers just put the entire Western Conference on notice. One night after blowing out the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-103, Damian Lillard and company ran it back Wednesday night at Moda Center and took down the shorthanded Thunder again, 118-108. Beating a conference powerhouse once grabs attention. Doing it on back-to-back nights […] The post Damian Lillard and Blazers send…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Damian Lillard scores 25 points as the Trail Blazers beat the Thunder 123-103",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/damian-lillard-scores-25-points-as-the-trail-blazers-beat-the-thunder",
        "published": "2026-11-11T06:53:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}