Blazers stay hot, annihilate struggling Thunder
FILE – Damian Lillard #0 and CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers talk during a stoppage in play against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Moda Center on March 23, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Steph Chambers/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Steph Chambers / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
CJ McCollum scored 20 points in just 26 minutes as the Portland Trail Blazers steamrolled the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 133-85 on Saturday night.
Damian Lillard added 16 points in 25 minutes as the Trail Blazers led by as many as 52 points while winning for the eighth time in the past 11 games. The margin of victory is Portland’s largest of the season.
Anfernee Simons scored 16 points, Norman Powell added 15 points and Enes Kanter had 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who turned the game into a blowout with a 23-1 spurt in the third quarter.
Kenrich Williams scored 18 points and fellow reserve Tony Bradley contributed 14 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma City, which lost for the fifth time in the past six games. Darius Miller had 11 points and Moses Brown added 10 points and 14 rebounds.
The blowout loss was the second straight for the Thunder after they were pounded 140-103 by the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. The Thunder trailed 43-13 after one quarter in that contest.
Oklahoma City has lost by more than 20 points on 12 occasions this season.
Rookie Theo Maledon had seven points on 1 of 12 shooting for the Thunder after scoring a season-best 33 points against the Suns. Oklahoma City shot 35.3 percent from the field, including 8 of 34 from 3-point range, and committed 22 turnovers compared to nine for the Trail Blazers.
Nassir Little scored 13 points, Harry Giles III added 12 and Carmelo Anthony had 10 for Portland, which shot 49 percent from the field and made 20 of 46 3-point attempts.
Portland jumped out to a 22-6 lead in the first seven-plus minutes and led comfortably most of the game.
The Trail Blazers led 35-19 after the first quarter, but Oklahoma City crept within 45-36 on Williams’ basket with 6:22 left in the half. But Portland ended the half with a 10-2 burst to hold a 65-46 lead at the break.
Brown’s tip-in early in the third quarter pulled the Thunder within 15 before the Trail Blazers put the game away with the explosive burst. McCollum made two 3-pointers and Lillard and Powell each made one during the four-minute-plus surge as Portland took a 88-51 lead with 7:01 remaining in the stanza.
Portland led 104-59 entering the fourth quarter and the lead topped 50 when Giles nailed a 3-pointer to make it 110-59.
–Field Level Media
