Blazers blitz Thunder in final minutes
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard scored 33 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers used a late 16-0 run to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-109 Thursday night at Moda Center.
Lillard led six Blazers in double figures as the Portland (25-35) won for only the third time in 10 games. Jusuf Nurkic collected 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots for the Blazers.
Russell Westbrook scored 45 points for Oklahoma City but made only 12 of 36 shots from the field. He added eight rebounds and four assists. Enes Kanter came off the bench for 18 points and 10 boards for the Thunder, who saw their four-game winning streak end.
Westbrook scored 28 first-half points, and Oklahoma City closed on a 12-0 run in the final 1:17 to take a 60-57 lead at the break. Lillard had 14 first-half points and CJ McCollum 12 for the Blazers.
Oklahoma City (35-26) upped the difference to six early in the third quarter, but Portland used a 9-0 spurt to go ahead 69-66. The Thunder carried an 85-81 edge into the final period.
The Thunder extended the margin to 97-89 with 7:30 to go. The Blazers drew within 101-97 on Nurkic's three-point play with 5:21 left, then made it 101-99 on a Nurkic layup.
Al-Farouq Aminu converted a layup, then Nurkic scored in a tip-in to give Portland a 103-101 lead. Lillard followed with a 3-pointer, and it was 106-101 with 2:51 to play. McCollum knocked down four straight at the line, and Portland held a 110-101 advantage with 1:37 remaining.
Andre Roberson snapped Oklahoma City's drought with a pair of free throws to cut Portland's lead to 110-103 with 58.3 seconds left. Westbrook's three-point play drew the Thunder to within 110-106 with 37.1 seconds remaining. Alex Abrines' trey with 17.7 seconds to go brought Oklahoma City within 110-109.
Lillard sank two free throws with 14.1 seconds left to make it 112-109. After a timeout, Westbrook rimmed out a 3-point attempt. Lillard's two foul shots with 8.4 ticks left clinched the verdict.
NOTES: Oklahoma City G Victor Oladipo (back) missed his fourth consecutive game. Coach Billy Donovan said he is hopeful Oladipo will be able to return to action in a rematch with Portland on Wednesday at Chesapeake Energy Arena... Portland F Ed Davis (shoulder) is facing surgery and will miss the rest of the season. ... Portland F Evan Turner (hand) is expected to get his cast off Friday. His return to action should come next week. ... Thunder G Russell Westbrook has 30 triple-doubles, one shy of Wilt Chamberlain (1967-68) for second on the NBA single-season list. "(Westbrook) makes it look so commonplace," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "I hope no one takes for granted what he's doing, because it's so unique." ... G Damian Lillard has made a 3-point shot in 40 consecutive games, one short of the Blazers franchise record held by Cliff Robinson (1995-96). ... Portland G CJ McCollum has scored in double figures in 51 straight games.