Abdel Nader has career night, but can’t lead Thunder past Blazers

Billy Donovan probably hopes that Abdel Nader’s performance against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday night is a sign of what’s to come for the third-year man.

With Russell Westbrook in Houston and Paul George in Los Angeles, it seems like every few days, there’s some sort of reunion game as it relates to Thunder alum who have found themselves on different teams.

Wednesday night was no different, as Oklahoma City traveled to Portland to do battle with the Trail Blazers. Carmelo Anthony, though his tenure in Oklahoma City was short-lived, was squaring off against his former squad.

Although Portland won the game rather decisively, for the rebuilding Thunder squad, there was a silver lining: third-year man Abdel Nader put up a career effort, recording 23 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field.

Nader led the team in scoring from off the bench and recorded a plus-minus of plus-16.

With Hamidou Diallo expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a hyperextended elbow, the already-struggling Thunder will be looking for some additional manpower on the wing. The opener may be what Nader needs to get a good opportunity to prove that he can be a rotation player for Billy Donovan’s team.

Nader certainly wants to capitalize on the absence of Diallo, and on Wednesday night, he did an admirable job. Obviously, the effort came in a losing effort, but if Oklahoma City is fortunate, it’s an effort that can be replicated.