The Portland Trail Blazers will put their season-high four-game winning streak to the test when they face the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Portland is beginning a seven-game homestand with a matchup against the Western Conference-leading Thunder, who are trying to bounce back from a 121-115 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
The Blazers turned in another strong defensive performance on Friday, beating Charlotte 102-97 while holding the Hornets to 37.6 percent shooting.
The impressive outing came one night after Portland limited Orlando to a season-low point total in a 101-79 victory over the Magic.
Anfernee Simons scored 27 points against Charlotte on Friday, while Jerami Grant added 22.
The rebuilding Blazers lost five straight before going on their current win streak. One of the most encouraging elements has been the play of rookie center Donovan Clingan, who had 13 rebounds and four blocks in the win over Charlotte.
“Donovan played great,” Simons said. “Altering shots at the rim. Just being a presence down low. That’s all we need him to be. Play hard. Get some offensive rebounds. Get some putbacks. Just doing the dirty work.”
Portland coach Chauncey Billups also raved about the 7-foot-2 Clingan, who was the seventh selection in last April’s draft.
“He gives us so much confidence to know that we can pressure people,” Billups said. “When we know he’s back there, he’s gonna try to clean up all the mistakes that we make with us trying to be so aggressive.”
The Blazers are seeking their first win over Oklahoma City since April 3, 2021. Portland has lost 14 straight meetings since then, including two this season.
One of the few teams to give the Thunder (36-8) trouble this season are the Mavericks, who won the season series against Oklahoma City 3-1 with Thursday’s victory.
The Thunder played Thursday without reserve guard Isaiah Joe, who has missed the last two games due to illness. Joe is shooting 49.2 percent from 3-point range in 10 games this month.
Thursday marked Oklahoma City’s first home loss since Nov. 17, snapping a 12-game win streak on its own court.
“I think (Dallas) outplayed us in really every lineup,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought they were just the better team. They were the aggressor for much of the game, especially in the second half.”
Jalen Williams matched his season high with 33 points in the loss to Dallas, while All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points after scoring a career-high 54 in a home win over Utah on Wednesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander is building a strong case for his first MVP Award while averaging 32 points, 6.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds. He is shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from 3-point range.
Aside from his contributions on offense, Gilgeous-Alexander is also a major reason why the Thunder are forcing a league-best 18.4 turnovers per game entering Saturday. He leads the team with 2.0 steals per contest.
“(Gilgeous-Alexander’s) impact on both ends of the floor, efficiency – he’s playing like the best player in the world,” Oklahoma City guard Alex Caruso said.
The Thunder won 137-114 at Portland on Nov. 1 and beat the Blazers 109-99 on Nov. 20 to begin their 12-game home win streak.
–Field Level Media
