Damian Lillard torches Thunder as Trail Blazers snap OKC's four-game win streak
· Yahoo Sports
PORTLAND, OR — Plenty of people inside Moda Center could be seen wearing a Damian Lillard jersey on Tuesday night.
He's a living legend around these parts, after all. Someone who leads the franchise in career points (19,551), made 3-pointers (2,412) and plenty of other statistical categories. But Trail Blazers fan Ben Hider chose to rep him with something different.
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He wore a T-shirt of Lillard's most iconic moment, where he sank a 37-foot buzzer beater that secured Portland's first-round playoff series win over OKC in 2019. The shirt, which Hider printed back in 2019 and kept all these years later, included Paul George's infamous postgame quote that read "I don't care what anybody says, that's a bad shot" on the front. The back had a photo of Lillard waiving the Thunder off the floor.
And it wasn't just a fitting choice of attire for Portland's game against OKC on Tuesday. It was prophetic.
After torching OKC's defense throughout the third quarter, Lillard walked the ball up the floor in the closing seconds. He then launched a 30-footer in traffic that splashed through the rim, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. That included Hider, who looked at his father and pointed to his shirt in excitement.
"That's a bad shot," Hider told him jokingly.
Portland ultimately earned a 123-103 win over OKC thanks in large part to Lillard, whose 13 third-quarter points helped break the game wide open. He ended the night with 25 points and three assists in 23 minutes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led OKC with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists on 8-for-22 shooting from the field (0 for 4 from deep) in 29 minutes. Jared McCain added 21 points and three assists on 6-for-12 shooting from the field (4 for 7 from deep) in 31 minutes.
OKC (8-3) snapped a four-game winning streak with the loss. It'll face Portland again on the road at 9 p.m. CST Wednesday.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Aday Mara is already an elite shot blocker
Aday Mara didn't even have to use his dominant hand to dominate the paint.
Toumani Camara barreled into the lane late in the first quarter and tested OKC's 7-foot-3 rookie, who stood his ground underneath the rim. And when Camara tried to sail a high-arcing hook shot, it never even got to leave his fingertips. That's how fast Mara rejected it, using his left hand to send it away.
Mara finished with one block to go along with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes.
Mara entered Tuesday with an average of 1.9 blocks this season. He ranks fifth in the NBA in that department, and he has done so despite only playing an average of 19.7 minutes.
For context, it has been over a decade since anyone in the NBA averaged at least two blocks in under 20 minutes. The last person to do so was Milwaukee's John Henson, who averaged two blocks in 18.3 minutes during the 2014-15 season.
Trail Blazers won the turnover battle
Turnovers have been an issue all season for the Trail Blazers. They ranked 24th in the NBA in turnovers per game (16.9) entering Tuesday's contest.
Those mistakes are usually even more costly when going up the Thunder, a team that'll cash in those mistakes. But that hasn't been the case this season, as OKC ranks 20th in the NBA in turnovers forced per game (14.8).
That's due in large part to the absence of two elite perimeter defenders in Cason Wallace (left shoulder surgery) and Jalen Williams (left ankle surgery). Both players will be re-evaluated prior to the end of this regular season.
It's a weakness that was exploited Tuesday, as Portland won the turnover battle against OKC. It only turned the ball over nine times compared to OKC's 12 turnovers.
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Nique Clifford makes Thunder debut
Mark Daigneault hadn't seen a second of Nique Clifford in a Thunder jersey yet.
The 24-year-old guard is that new after being acquired by OKC in a trade with Sacramento on Saturday. It gave up two second-round picks — one from Utah in 2028 and one from Minnesota in 2030 — to make that deal happen. But when asked about Clifford prior to Tuesday's game, Daigneault already felt he'd be a good fit with the franchise.
“The first thing I like is not about his game," Daigneault said. "It’s him as a guy. He’s a really, really good guy. He’s a team guy. He wants to be a part of team basketball. He wants to compete. He’s willing to earn what he gets. He’s got all of the marks of the makeup that we look for, which I think Sam (Presti) has done a great job of as we’ve layered guys in through the draft or through trade.
"He tries to find people who naturally align with the way that we want to be, and he does that. And I think that’s important when you have a team that has the ethos that we have established at this point."
Clifford felt like Thunder material, and the threads confirmed that when he made his debut.
He didn't do a ton to necessarily stand out, but he fit right in defensively by using his high IQ and physical tools to guard a range of positions. He also played within the system offensively in order to get his buckets.
Clifford finished with four points, four rebounds and one assist on 2-for-4 shooting from the field (0 for 1 from deep) in 19 minutes. It's a solid start for someone who'll surely get even more opportunities as the season unfolds, since OKC remains short-handed due to injuries.
Thunder at Trail Blazers
TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Moda Center in Portland (Thunder+, KSBI)
Justin Martinez covers the Thunder and NBA for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Justin? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @Justintohoops. Sign up for the Thunder Sports Minute newsletter to access more NBA coverage. Support Justin's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Damian Lillard torches Thunder as Trail Blazers snap OKC's four-game win streak