Aaron Wiggins scored 30 points and Jaylin Williams delivered his first career triple-double to lift the short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder to a 107-89 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
The win was the sixth straight for the Thunder, and perhaps their most unlikely of the season.
Oklahoma City played well outside of its normal starting lineup as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (rest), Jalen Williams (right wrist sprain), Chet Holmgren (right lower leg contusion), Luguentz Dort (right knee soreness), and Isaiah Hartenstein (nasal fracture reinjury) were all out.
But after an 11-0 second-quarter run put the Thunder up by five, Oklahoma City never trailed.
Wiggins finished 13-of-26 from the field, while Williams had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Alex Caruso added 17 points off the bench.
Scoot Henderson led Portland with 22 points, Shaedon Sharpe added 19 and Anfernee Simons finished with 14.
The Thunder outscored Portland by 13 in the second quarter when Isaiah Joe scored 11 and Wiggins scored 10.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said after Wednesday’s win in Memphis that he felt like his team turned a corner defensively after struggling on that end coming out of the All-Star break.
Defense led the way for the Thunder against Portland, as 13 of Oklahoma City’s 34 second-quarter points came off Trail Blazers’ turnovers. Oklahoma City finished with 25 points on 17 Portland turnovers.
Portland shot just 1-of-12 from beyond the arc in the second quarter. The Blazers finished just 8-of-43 (18.6%) on 3-pointers, their fourth-worst shooting percentage from beyond the arc this season.
After the Thunder built a 21-point lead early in the third, Portland chipped away with a 23-7 run to make it a five-point game late in the quarter.
But the Blazers managed just 16 fourth-quarter points as the Thunder held on for the win.
The loss was Portland’s second consecutive and third in four games as the Blazers wrapped up a season-long seven-game road trip.
The Thunder swept the four-game season series between the teams and have now won 16 consecutive games against the Blazers.
–Field Level Media
