Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out six assists as the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Portland Trail Blazers 137-114 on Friday night.
Jalen Williams contributed 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, and four steals, helping Oklahoma City secure its fifth straight win to start the season. Aaron Wiggins and Cason Wallace each scored 13 points off the bench, while Isaiah Joe added 12 points and Ousmane Dieng had 11.
Oklahoma City has now won 13 games in a row against the Trail Blazers. One of last season’s wins was by a huge margin of 139-77, which ties for the fifth-largest victory in NBA history.
For Portland, Jerami Grant scored 17 points, and Deandre Ayton along with Rayan Rupert each added 14 points. Toumani Camara scored 13 points, while Deni Avdija and Dalano Banton both had 11 points. The Trail Blazers have started the season with four losses in six games.
Oklahoma City shot 53.7 percent from the field, hitting 19 of 49 (38.8 percent) from three-point range. Gilgeous-Alexander made 12 of 18 shots, and Williams hit 8 of 12, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc.
Chet Holmgren also made an impact by blocking five shots for the Thunder. The Trail Blazers shot 47 percent from the field and made 15 of 35 (42.9 percent) from three-point range.
The Thunder took control in the third quarter, outscoring Portland 38-17 to turn a tied game at halftime into a 21-point lead for Oklahoma City. Alex Caruso’s basket finished off a 9-0 run, putting Oklahoma City ahead 89-78 with 3:56 left in the quarter.
Then, Wallace hit a 3-pointer, and Gilgeous-Alexander scored four straight points to cap a 23-5 run, giving the Thunder a 103-83 lead with just 24.1 seconds remaining.
A last-second 3-pointer by Dieng made it 106-85 for Oklahoma City as they entered the fourth quarter.
The Thunder opened the fourth by scoring nine of the first 11 points, and Ajay Mitchell’s three made it 115-87 with 9:17 left in the game, allowing Oklahoma City to comfortably finish the game.
The Thunder had a 17-point lead in the first quarter before the score was tied at 68 at halftime.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 18 points in the first half, while Williams added 17. Grant had 14 points for Portland in the first half.
Oklahoma City led 35-18 after a three-pointer by Gilgeous-Alexander with 1:16 left in the first quarter, finishing the first at 37-24.
The Thunder had a 15-point lead four minutes into the second quarter, but Portland started to cut into that lead.
Later, a 13-2 run was capped by Ayton’s basket, giving the Trail Blazers a 66-65 lead with 37.1 seconds left in the half. Williams then hit a long three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to tie the game.
