Gilgeous-Alexander scores 31, Thunder beat depleted Blazers
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the depleted Portland Trail Blazers 118-112 on Sunday.
Jalen Williams had 23 points and Isaiah Joe added 20 off the bench for Oklahoma City. It was a crucial win for the Thunder in the Western Conference play-in race. They improved to 37-38 and moved into a tie for ninth place with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shaedon Sharpe led the Trail Blazers with a career-high 29 points, and Nassir Little scored a season-best 28 off the bench. The loss was Portland’s eighth in 10 games, dropping the team to 32-42 this season. The Blazers are four games back of 10th place in the West and the final spot in the play-in tournament.
“It wasn’t a pretty game,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It wasn’t our best game by any stretch. But given the circumstances, it required a level of resilience and toughness out of our team to win the game and I thought we had that.”
Portland was playing without four of its five regular starters as guards Damian Lillard (right calf) and Anfernee Simons (right foot), forward Jerami Grant (left calf) and center Jusuf Nurkic (right knee) all sat out.
“I thought we played very well,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. “Defensively and offensively, we were in tune. We got the ball moving around.”
The Blazers started off hot and built a 37-25 lead at the end of the first quarter, but squandered it with a 7-for-21 shooting performance in the second, allowing Oklahoma City to take a 68-62 lead into halftime.
The second half began in much the same way: Portland retook the lead with an 11-0 run powered by Sharpe and Little. That led to a back-and-forth third quarter before Oklahoma City pulled away midway through the fourth.
“I thought we gutted it out,” Daigneault said. “We did what we needed to do, especially down the stretch. Strung some plays together late. I thought our physicality the last four or five minutes of the game was really, really good.”
TIP-INS
Thunder: Lindy Waters III was a late scratch due to a plantar fasciitis injury that flared up during pregame warmups.
Trail Blazers: Despite recent reports that Portland is shutting down its regular starters for the season, Billups said Lillard, Grant, Simons and Nurkic are day-to-day. “We’re just being cautious,” the coach said. … F Trendon Watford sustained a right ankle injury in the first quarter and returned, but was later ruled out for the rest of the game.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Return home to host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Continue a five-game homestand Monday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jaylin Williams vs. Drew Eubanks (Ryan Arcidiacono gains possession) | ||
| 11:39 | | Matisse Thybulle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:36 |  | Luguentz Dort defensive rebound | ||
| 11:16 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:14 | | Drew Eubanks defensive rebound | ||
| 11:06 | | +3 | Shaedon Sharpe makes three point stepback jump shot | 0-3 |
| 10:51 | | Jalen Williams misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:49 | | Trendon Watford defensive rebound | ||
| 10:41 | | +2 | Trendon Watford makes two point driving layup | 0-5 |
| 10:35 | | Shaedon Sharpe personal foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 10:27 | | +3 | Josh Giddey makes three point jump shot (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander assists) | 3-5 |
| 10:08 | | +2 | Trendon Watford makes two point floating jump shot | 3-7 |
| 9:56 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turnover (lost ball) (Drew Eubanks steals) | ||
| 9:53 | | +2 | Matisse Thybulle makes two point running dunk (Drew Eubanks assists) | 3-9 |
| 9:30 | | Josh Giddey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:28 | | Matisse Thybulle defensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | Trendon Watford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:19 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 9:08 | | Luguentz Dort misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:06 | | Drew Eubanks defensive rebound | ||
| 8:58 | | Thunder technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 8:58 | | Shaedon Sharpe misses technical free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 8:58 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 8:52 | | Drew Eubanks offensive foul (Charge) (Jaylin Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 8:52 | | Drew Eubanks turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 8:27 | | Jaylin Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:25 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 8:17 | | Trendon Watford turnover (lost ball) (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steals) | ||
| 8:14 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point running dunk | 5-9 |
| 8:05 | | Ryan Arcidiacono misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:05 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 7:58 | | +2 | Josh Giddey makes two point driving floating jump shot | 7-9 |
| 7:58 | | Ryan Arcidiacono shooting foul (Josh Giddey draws the foul) | ||
| 7:58 | | Josh Giddey misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 7:55 | | Drew Eubanks defensive rebound | ||
| 7:41 | | Jaylin Williams shooting foul (Drew Eubanks draws the foul) | ||
| 7:41 | | Drew Eubanks misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:41 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 7:41 | | +1 | Drew Eubanks makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-10 |
| 7:31 | | Drew Eubanks kicked ball violation | ||
| 7:17 | | Luguentz Dort misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:16 | | Drew Eubanks defensive rebound | ||
| 7:02 | | Matisse Thybulle misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:57 | | Drew Eubanks offensive rebound | ||
| 6:57 | | +2 | Drew Eubanks makes two point tip layup | 7-12 |
| 6:47 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point pullup bank jump shot | 9-12 |
| 6:33 | | +2 | Trendon Watford makes two point driving floating jump shot (Ryan Arcidiacono assists) | 9-14 |
| 6:14 | | Luguentz Dort misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:14 | | Trail Blazers defensive rebound | ||
| 6:14 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:59 | | Matisse Thybulle offensive foul (Charge) (Jaylin Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 5:59 | | Matisse Thybulle turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 5:45 | | Isaiah Joe misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 5:42 | | Trendon Watford defensive rebound | ||
| 5:25 | | Keon Johnson turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 5:11 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turnover (traveling) | ||
| 4:50 | | +2 | Drew Eubanks makes two point turnaround bank jump shot (Matisse Thybulle assists) | 9-16 |
| 4:34 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point driving finger roll layup | 11-16 |
| 4:15 | | +3 | Matisse Thybulle makes three point jump shot (Drew Eubanks assists) | 11-19 |
| 3:55 | | Josh Giddey misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:52 | | Jaylin Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | +2 | Jaylin Williams makes two point tip layup | 13-19 |
| 3:40 | | +3 | Kevin Knox II makes three point jump shot (Keon Johnson assists) | 13-22 |
| 3:33 | | Keon Johnson shooting foul (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander draws the foul) | ||
| 3:33 | | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 3:33 | | Thunder offensive rebound | ||
| 3:33 | | +1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-22 |
| 3:15 | | +2 | Shaedon Sharpe makes two point driving finger roll layup | 14-24 |
| 2:58 | | Aaron Wiggins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:54 | | Kevin Knox II defensive rebound | ||
| 2:51 | | Isaiah Joe personal foul (Keon Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 2:51 | | Thunder 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:47 | | Keon Johnson turnover (bad pass) (Isaiah Joe steals) | ||
| 2:43 | | Isaiah Joe misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 2:40 | | Jalen Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 2:34 | | +3 | Jalen Williams makes three point jump shot (Isaiah Joe assists) | 17-24 |
| 2:16 | | +2 | Nassir Little makes two point turnaround bank jump shot | 17-26 |
| 2:08 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point driving floating jump shot | 19-26 |
| 2:08 | | Kevin Knox II shooting foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 2:08 | | +1 | Jalen Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 20-26 |
| 1:49 | | +3 | Kevin Knox II makes three point jump shot (Keon Johnson assists) | 20-29 |
| 1:37 | | Jalen Williams misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:34 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 1:28 | | Luguentz Dort shooting foul (Jabari Walker draws the foul) | ||
| 1:28 | | +1 | Jabari Walker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 20-30 |
| 1:28 | | +1 | Jabari Walker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-31 |
| 1:20 | | +2 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes two point driving layup | 22-31 |
| 1:07 | | +3 | Nassir Little makes three point pullup jump shot (Keon Johnson assists) | 22-34 |
| 0:55 | | +3 | Isaiah Joe makes three point jump shot (Jalen Williams assists) | 25-34 |
| 0:41 | | +3 | Kevin Knox II makes three point jump shot (Keon Johnson assists) | 25-37 |
| 0:30 | | Aaron Wiggins misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 0:30 | | Trail Blazers defensive rebound | ||
| 0:09 | | Keon Johnson misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 0:06 | | Nassir Little offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Nassir Little misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:50 | | Kevin Knox II shooting foul (Jalen Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 11:50 | | +1 | Jalen Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-37 |
| 11:50 | | +1 | Jalen Williams makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-37 |
| 11:36 | | Josh Giddey blocks Nassir Little's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:36 | | Thunder defensive rebound | ||
| 11:36 | | Thunder 60 second timeout | ||
| 11:22 | | +2 | Josh Giddey makes two point driving layup | 29-37 |
| 11:06 | | Kevin Knox II misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | Jabari Walker offensive rebound | ||
| 10:55 | | Ousmane Dieng shooting foul (Keon Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 10:55 | | Keon Johnson misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 10:55 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 10:55 | | +1 | Keon Johnson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-38 |
| 10:38 | | Ousmane Dieng misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:35 | | Kevin Knox II defensive rebound | ||
| 10:26 | | Kevin Knox II misses two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 10:25 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point running layup (Josh Giddey assists) | 31-38 |
| 10:05 | | Keon Johnson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:03 | | Jabari Walker offensive rebound | ||
| 9:56 | | +2 | Nassir Little makes two point driving finger roll layup | 31-40 |
| 9:45 | | Tre Mann misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:41 | | Kevin Knox II defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | Jabari Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:29 | | Josh Giddey defensive rebound | ||
| 9:21 | | +2 | Ousmane Dieng makes two point driving reverse layup (Josh Giddey assists) | 33-40 |
| 9:07 | | Josh Giddey blocks Nassir Little's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:05 | | Jalen Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 9:00 | | +3 | Tre Mann makes three point running jump shot (Jalen Williams assists) | 36-40 |
| 8:43 | | Nassir Little misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:42 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 8:40 | | Keon Johnson turnover (bad pass) (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl steals) | ||
| 8:36 | | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl misses two point running layup | ||
| 8:35 | | Isaiah Joe offensive rebound | ||
| 8:35 | | Jabari Walker shooting foul (Isaiah Joe draws the foul) | ||
| 8:35 | | +1 | Isaiah Joe makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-40 |
| 8:35 | | +1 | Isaiah Joe makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-40 |
| 8:21 | | Cam Reddish misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:19 | | Kevin Knox II offensive rebound | ||
| 8:14 | | Keon Johnson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:12 | | Thunder defensive rebound | ||
| 7:59 | | +3 | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl makes three point jump shot (Jalen Williams assists) | 41-40 |
| 7:39 | | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl shooting foul (Keon Johnson draws the foul) | ||
| 7:39 | | +1 | Keon Johnson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-41 |
| 7:39 | | +1 | Keon Johnson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 41-42 |
| 7:25 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point cutting dunk (Isaiah Joe assists) | 43-42 |
| 7:15 | | Trendon Watford turnover (bad pass) (Ousmane Dieng steals) | ||
| 7:11 | | Jabari Walker blocks Jalen Williams's two point running layup | ||
| 7:11 | | Thunder offensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | Matisse Thybulle personal foul (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl draws the foul) | ||
| 7:03 | | Drew Eubanks blocks Ousmane Dieng's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:03 | | Thunder offensive rebound | ||
| 7:01 | | Jeremiah Robinson-Earl misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:59 | | Isaiah Joe offensive rebound | ||
| 6:46 | | Tre Mann misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:43 | | Ousmane Dieng offensive rebound | ||
| 6:39 | | +2 | Jalen Williams makes two point reverse layup (Tre Mann assists) | 45-42 |
| 6:24 | | +3 | Shaedon Sharpe makes three point stepback jump shot | 45-45 |
| 6:02 | | Ousmane Dieng misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:01 | | Trail Blazers defensive rebound | ||
| 5:51 | | Thunder technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 5:51 | | Trendon Watford misses technical free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 5:51 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 5:45 | | Drew Eubanks misses two point alley-oop layup | ||
| 5:40 | | Drew Eubanks offensive rebound | ||
| 5:40 | |