With their fifth back-to-back of the season, Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and the rest of the Thunder gang came out firing tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers with efficient offensive work, much improved perimeter defense, and a strong finish to send the Blazers back to Portland and pick up a third straight win at 123-114.
The Thunder came into this matchup with a strong 127-109 win over the New York Knicks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, while the Trail Blazers were having a back-to-back of their own after a hot 109-104 win over the Jazz in Utah on MLK Day.
The last time these two teams met was on Jan. 4 when the Thunder took a 111-109 win marking this as the first time the Thunder defeated the Trail Blazers in Portland since February 2014.
“It was a good win for us,” Russell Westbrook said during his postgame presser. “I’m just happy we came out with the win.”
Westbrook picked up his 14th triple-double of the season, No. 118 of his career, and finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists.
Paul George had another MVP-like performance getting things rolling early on in the game and keeping the energy throughout finishing with 36 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals, and 1 block.
Six Thunder players finished in double digits, and the team as a whole had 16 steals. With the Thunder’s upcoming schedule bringing in tougher opponents and thrilling matchups, this win over the Trail Blazers was much needed for the team going forward.
The Thunder will stay at home for the remainder of the week hosting the Anthony Davis-less Pelicans on Thursday at 7 p.m., and the Milwaukee Bucks will be in OKC on Sunday for a 5 p.m. matchup to conclude the three-game home stretch for the Thunder.
OKC advances to 29-18 in the season, while Portland falls to 29-20 overall.
Watch below for a full postgame wrap-up including pressers from Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schröder.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS