Deni Avdija and Damian Lillard Lead Trail Blazers to Sweep Over Thunder

Portland secured a 118-108 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, completing a two-game series sweep.

Deni Avdija paced the Trail Blazers with 28 points, while Damian Lillard added 18 points in the win. Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 31 points, tallying 23 of those in the second half as the Thunder let a late lead slip away.

The visiting Thunder fought back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Nique Clifford tied the game at 88 with 11:11 remaining in regulation. Kenrich Williams followed up with a layup off a loose ball to put Oklahoma City ahead, forcing a Portland timeout at the 10:41 mark.

Portland’s veteran backcourt answered during the closing minutes. Avdija and Lillard combined for 20 of the team’s 30 points in the fourth quarter. Lillard drained a 3-pointer with 6:17 left to trim the deficit to 94-93. After free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander and a putback by Robert Williams III, Avdija converted two free throws to put the Trail Blazers back in front 99-98 with 5:24 on the clock.

Lillard extended the margin with a floater making it 108-100 with two minutes remaining. Jared McCain hit a 3-pointer for OKC with 1:19 left to cut the score to 110-105, but Lillard sealed the outcome from the free-throw line.

The Trail Blazers built momentum late in the first half by closing on a 15-4 run after trailing by as many as nine points. Following a technical foul on Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, Jrue Holiday hit a 3-pointer with 1:13 left in the half to push the score to 54-45.

Isaiah Hartenstein contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma City. Donovan Clingan pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked 3 shots for Portland, while Holiday chipped in 19 points off the bench.

The Thunder visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. The Trail Blazers travel to play Sacramento on Friday.