Chauncey Billups and the Portland Trail Blazers endured a nightmarish performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday.
Portland’s 139—77 loss to Oklahoma City was not only a humbling defeat, but it was also a historic one, as the 62-point spread is tied for the fifth-largest margin of victory in NBA history.
A solemn Billups spoke to reporters after the loss and attempted to explain what happened to the Blazers against the Thunder at Paycom Center. When asked to describe how the loss went down, the Blazers coach pointed to the team’s inability to knock down open shots in the first half, which he said led to a negative performance on the defensive end of the floor.
“I mean, this was, sheesh–not much really good to say about this one for us,” Billups said. “I mean, I will say this. I thought that we generated some pretty good looks in the first half. The fact that we couldn’t make pretty much anything deflated us. But more than anything, on the defensive end, we just had no resistance.”
Due to this “perfect storm,” as Billups called it, the game was essentially over by halftime, as the Thunder carried a 75—39 lead into the locker room. Billups pulled his starters out of the game about midway through the third quarter but noted that he was proud of his reserves for “not letting go of the rope” and continuing to play hard.
Unfortunately, there won’t be any rest for the weary Blazers (10–27). They are scheduled to play Friday at 8 p.m. ET against the Minnesota Timberwolves (26–11), who are tied with the Thunder for the best record in the Western Conference.
Largest Blowouts in NBA History
| Date | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 2, 2021 |
Grizzlies |
Thunder |
73 |
Dec. 17, 1991 |
Cavaliers |
Heat |
68 |
Feb. 27, 1998 |
Pacers |
Trail Blazers |
65 |
March 19, 1972 |
Lakers |
Warriors |
63 |
Jan. 11, 2024 |
Thunder |
Trail Blazers |
62 |
Nov. 2, 1991 |
Warriors |
Kings |
62 |
Dec. 25, 1960 |
Nationals |
Knicks |
62 |
