By Michael Doutey
The Oklahoma City Thunder fall to the Portland Trail Blazers 108-105 in Oklahoma City on Sunday night. With the win, the Trail Blazers sweep the Thunder in the season for the first time ever. The Thunder got off to a horribly slow start, falling behind by 18 points. But the Thunder received a big boost from their second unit. Once OKC was back in the game, it was a tight game that saw 14 lead changes and eight ties. The Thunder had their chances but never took advantage while Portland made plays down the stretch to pull out the win. With the game tied at 105, CJ McCollum hit a 18 foot jumper to give Portland the lead for good. Here are tonight’s five observations.
1. Not Staying Melo
It hasn’t been a week to remember for Carmelo Anthony. After blowing a game at the free throw line in Boston, Melo has shot 5-21 overall in his last two games and has gone 0-9 from three for 12 total points. Melo was brutal again in this one, shooting 3-13 and 0-5 from three and scored just six points. But in the fourth quarter, Melo went 0-4, all of which were from three. Melo had three great looks late in the game, including the three at the final buzzer that would have sent the game to OT. Melo also had a horrible turnover after breaking through the double team when OKC was down just two. The turnover came with 8.7 seconds left in the game. I’ve said it all season long. If Melo can’t make open shots, he is unplayable. He’s turned into Enes Kanter. His defense is bad. Knocking down open shots is the only thing he adds to the team. He’s not doing that right now.
2. Jerami Grant’s Emergence
In 18 minutes of action, Jerami Grant scored 17 points on 4-5 shooting, shot 7-8 from the free throw line and was a matchup nightmare for the Trail Blazers. Grant was a spark off the bench and was instrumental in the Thunder’s second quarter rally. Grant has become a player I thought the Thunder would trade at the deadline to a player I’m not sure OKC can replace when the season comes to an end. Grant should be getting more minutes, especially in crunch time. He isn’t the best one-on-one defender, but his shot blocking, sheer length and athleticism is better than anything Melo has to offer on defense. Heck, Grant is even knocking down three’s at a nice rate, going 2-2 from deep in this one. If Melo doesn’t have it going, I think Billy D should run with Grant down the stretch in the playoffs. I don’t think that will ultimately happen, but I think that would be a big positive for OKC down the stretch of the season.
3. Paul George Struggles Continue
To compound the issues with Melo, PG has really struggled shooting as well. George has been off ever since the All-Star break. He shot 4-15 from the field and 0-7 from three for 16 points. It has been a real tough stretch for PG over the past few weeks. Shots that have been falling all season suddenly aren’t going down. The frustration was in his voice. You could it in his face after the game. But PG has done a good job at taking the ball to basket. He went to the line eight times and made all his free throws. PG was 1-2 in the fourth quarter, but he made it to the line four times. Now, I know that PG wasn’t shooting well, but why is Melo getting more looks in the fourth quarter than George? I’ll never understand that.
4. 2nd Chance Points
The Thunders initial defense was actually good. But where Portland really hurt OKC was on the offensive glass. The Trail Blazers grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, which is the most a Thunder opponent has had all season. The Blazers outscored OKC 21-10 in second chance points, which has been a Thunder staple this year. After a good defensive possession, the Blazers would track down a long rebound and score off of it. It was deflating and frustrating. This was the stat and story of the game.
5. OKC Had Their Chances
With 4:13 to go in the game, OKC took their largest lead of the game, 101-98. The Thunder mustered just four points the remainder of the game. Up three, Melo missed back-to-back three’s. Then up just one, Westbrook missed an open jumper. Portland made a shot and took the lead, 102-101. PG got a great look from three after that, which rimmed out. Then Corey Brewer grabbed a rebound and was fouled, sending him to the free throw line down one with 1:22 left. Brewer missed both, but Adams saves the day with an offensive board. Westbrook scored off of it and the Thunder lead 103-102. Then the Thunder forced a McCollum missed three, but Damian Lillard grabbed the offensive rebound and nailed his only three of the game and gave Portland a 105-103 lead. OKC tied the game 105 off a Westbrook layup. Then, McCollum nailed a tough shot, giving Portland a 107-105 lead. The Blazers then forced a Melo turnover and then saw Melo miss a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game to OT. OKC had their chances, but they came up empty.
The Thunder fall to 44-31 on the season. OKC is next in action on Thursday when they play in another pivotal game at San Antonio. Tip is set for 7 p.m. inside the AT&T Center.
