OKLAHOMA CITY — Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, there was no rest for the weary as the Oklahoma City Thunder picked up an easy-flowing 139-77 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The 62-point margin of victory is the largest in Thunder history. The win places OKC in a tie for first place in the Western Conference standings with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I thought we were able to build obviously a pretty good lead and I thought we played pretty well with the lead both ends of the floor,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the win. “Which we’ve had leads in the past — we’ve done that well, we’ve done that poorly at different times… I thought the guys did a great job there.”
After the Trail Blazers scored the opening five points, the Thunder quickly took control of the contest and ended the first frame with a 36-24 lead. It drastically grew in the second quarter with a 39-point effort and entered halftime with a controlling 75-39 lead.
As the Thunder led by 49 points midway through the third quarter, Daigneault elected to pull his starters and reward them with an extended rest. A luxury that especially benefits OKC amid this grueling stretch of the schedule.
A 43-point third quarter by OKC saw this game turn an average blowout loss into history as it entered the final frame with a 118-56 lead. The Thunder’s 62-point lead following the third quarter was larger than Portland’s total points at 56.
By the final buzzer, OKC collected the fifth-largest margin of victory in NBA history.
Against the Trail Blazers, the Thunder had arguably their best offensive outing yet this season. OKC scored a season-high in points, shot 57% from the field and went 14-of-35 (40%) from 3. It tallied a season-high 41 assists on 53 baskets.
“We’re not perfect on a given possession, but we got kinda a contagiousness around that right now and it’s making us very difficult to guard,” Daigneault said on their 41-assist night. “I think the guys are gaining confidence and momentum from that offensively.”
All 15 players for the Thunder suited up and played at least seven minutes in the lopsided win. This included all five starters having a plus-minus of plus-39 or better.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points in 21 minutes. Josh Giddey collected his first triple-double of the season. Jalen Williams scored 21 points on 10 shots.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers struggled as they shot 28% from the field and 11-of-49 (22.4%) from 3. Only two players scored double-digit points — Scoot Henderson with 13 points and Anfernee Simons with 14 points.
A little over two years following their 73-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies — the largest margin of defeat in NBA history — a 62-point win over the Trail Blazers gave Daigneault a chance to reflect on OKC’s growth since then.
“That (Grizzlies loss) was an important game for us. I thought we learned a lot of lessons from that game,” Daigneault said. “You learn that it’s one game… You learn the sun comes up the next day, you have practice the next day…
“Fear is something that is an emotion you feel in competition. That’s like your worst nightmare, that game. But the fear of it is worse than the reality of it. The reality is you lose the game, you taste your own blood…
“It built some good fortitude in the team and some good scars to the point where now it’s kinda a badge of honor.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A-plus
It was light work for Gilgeous-Alexander against one of the worst teams in the league. The All-NBA guard toyed with the Trail Blazers in his three quarters of action.
In 21 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting, four assists and four rebounds. He also went 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. He was a plus-41. The 25-year-old was pulled midway through the third quarter as OKC built a 49-point lead.
Gilgeous-Alexander conducted most of his scoring inside of the paint, where he shot 9-of-11.
“We didn’t like the way we played off of our last back-to-back,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “We wanted to make an emphasis to play out there and kinda play from the jump and I think we did so.”
While he didn’t play, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of a handful of players left from when the Thunder lost by 73 points to the Grizzlies. When asked about it afterward, he said that loss left a lasting imprint on them.
“After that game, we addressed it, and we just made a promise to ourselves to never feel that feeling again,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I think it’s been a little bit of our fuel to get to where we are tonight.”
Dishes best served hot ♨️
Vote Thunder: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/H5rfNlGI13
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
Shai's handles are UNMATCHED 😳@okcthunder | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/XcWjQA6Hj0
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) January 12, 2024
Sticky moves from Shai
Vote Shai: https://t.co/2FFNkzxxzm pic.twitter.com/OG2Nztu62o
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
Plays on repeat 🔂 pic.twitter.com/G1oXFoWLYj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
Josh Giddey: A-plus
In his best game of the season, Giddey lived up to his billing as a talented playmaker who can rebound as a guard.
In 23 minutes, Giddey collected his first triple-double of the season with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. He was a plus-46. Midway through the third quarter, he was pulled along with the rest of the starters.
Doing it in 21 minutes, Giddey’s triple-double marked the seventh-quickest one recorded in league history.
The 21-year-old had several highlight passes in his limited time that included a near full-court outlet to Williams and a lob to Holmgren. After struggling for most of the season with his new role, Giddey looked his absolute best yet against the Trail Blazers.
“Josh is an elite passer, very high IQ basketball player,” Gilgeous-Alexander said on Giddey. “… When he’s making the decision and when he’s aggressive, he’s a really good basketball player… He went through a little bit of a slump obviously, he’s worked at it and got better from it.”
Cookies and dimes 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/H7iwnmoPrm
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
No words 😯
@OGandE Power Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/rDnEHdkCzq— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
Jalen Williams: A
Williams joined in on the fun with an efficient 20-point outing. In 19 minutes, he scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting to go along with his seven rebounds and four assists. He was a plus-39.
The 22-year-old did most of his damage inside of the paint, where he shot 8-of-9. He made easy work of Portland’s nonexistent defense and played more of a cutter role with four of his baskets near the rim resulting in assists.
Just like the other starters, Williams received an extended rest after he was pulled midway through the third quarter.
Dub denial sealed with a slam 🔨 pic.twitter.com/KFtQJSXlnj
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
Chet Holmgren: A
Like the rest of the starters, Holmgren made easy work of the lowly Trail Blazers. He finished with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting, four rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes. He was a plus-41.
Also just like the rest of the starters, Holmgren was pulled halfway through the third quarter as OKC neared a 50-point advantage. The rookie center scored 10 points in the first quarter to help the Thunder build an eight-point lead.
During a 22-2 run in the first quarter, Holmgren completed an and-one trick shot after being manhandled by Grant where the ball flung in the air before landing inside of the net. It was that type of night for OKC.
Considering the opponent, Holmgren didn’t need to do too much to secure the easy win. The rest could be extra advantageous for him considering he’s played every game this season as a rookie.
“We didn’t play a perfect game,” Holmgren said on lessons from a 62-point win. “We had a lot of really good moments. There’s still things we can learn from tonight and learning from outcomes.”
Energy out the gates! 🔋 pic.twitter.com/srkXn8goVL
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
Yeah…it went in 🤧
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— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 12, 2024
