Trail Blazers 115, Thunder 112
LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points and 16 rebounds and Damian Lillard also scored 29 points as host Portland recovered from a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to stymie Oklahoma City.
Arron Afflalo scored 18 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who improved to 25-6 at home. Portland led by three when guard Wesley Matthews fouled Thunder star Russell Westbrook as he hoisted up a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left but Westbrook only made two of the three attempts and Lillard added two free throws for the final margin.
Westbrook had 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his third straight triple-double but also missed a go-ahead layup with 6.9 seconds left in addition to the free throw. Rookie Mitch McGary scored a season-best 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting and also grabbed nine rebounds for the Thunder.
Oklahoma City led 95-82 after McGary’s layup with 9:40 to play before the Trail Blazers went on a spirited rally and tied the game at 103 on Aldridge’s putback with 4:33 left. Aldridge hit a turnaround jumper to give Portland a 110-108 edge with 1:58 remaining before Westbrook tied it with two free throws and Aldridge split a pair with 44.1 seconds left to put the Trail Blazers ahead to stay.
Westbrook scored 19 points in the first half as Oklahoma City led 59-47 at the break. Portland used a 10-0 run to pull within five midway through the third quarter but the Thunder recovered to lead by as many as 14 before taking an 89-78 lead into the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Oklahoma City had a 21-7 edge in fast-break points. … The double-double was the 29th of the season for Aldridge. … Thunder C Enes Kanter (thigh) sat out while F Kevin Durant (foot) missed his fifth straight game.