Good defense is often relative. Allowing 26 points to an opposing player is often not ideal.
But when that player is Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, and when Lillard had scored at least 35 points in three games in a row entering the night, and when he was held to 8-for-23 shooting from the field, then yes, relatively, it was a very good defensive performance.
One defensive play at the end of the game turned out to be subjective: Did Lu Dort foul Lillard on a 3-pointer while the Thunder led by six with 20 seconds to play? The referees said yes. Dort emphatically said no. Head coach Mark Daigneault called upon the challenge he had kept pocketed earlier in the game.
Subjectivity went out the window as the referees grouped at the monitor and saw that, indeed, Dort’s defense was objectively excellent. He got a hand on the ball, not Lillard, and forced the miss.
LOOK AT HIM https://t.co/Qzcnf5M86Z pic.twitter.com/MNaMFaytTa
— THE UNCONTESTED PODCAST (@The_Uncontested) January 26, 2021
That successful challenge ended up being huge in the Thunder’s 125-122 victory.
After Dort got the block and won the challenge, the Thunder led 123-117 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was intentionally fouled. He missed both free throws and Lillard made a step-back 3 on the next possession — this shot would have tied the game had Lillard gone to the line and sank all three free throws 15 seconds earlier.
Instead, Oklahoma City stayed up by three points and Gilgeous-Alexander made one of the two free throws the next time at the line. It wasn’t quite over, though.
Lillard made another tough shot, but his foot was on the line, so the Thunder lead was 124-122. Gilgeous-Alexander returned to the line with 0.9 seconds to play.
He hit the first but missed the second. Lillard got the defensive rebound, but he couldn’t get the shot off in time, and even if he had, it was well short.
The Thunder officially got the win at the buzzer. It was a good game for them, and one they should have put away earlier.
Oklahoma City scored 69 points in the first half, a season-high for the team, and led by as many as 17 points. Backup big Mike Muscala hit a career-high six 3-pointers and posted 23 points in just 21 minutes of play.
“It was fun to play tonight,” Muscala said. “Moving the ball around, finding open shooters, it’s really fun to play like that.”
He and the bench were huge on Monday. Hamidou Diallo scored 11 on 5-for-8 shooting, and Kenrich Williams got closing minutes with guard George Hill out due to a thumb sprain.
Rookie Theo Maledon started in place of Hill. He had six points, four rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 24 points while Darius Bazley had the best game he has played over the past couple weeks, scoring 19 points, grabbing seven rebounds and making three 3s.
Four Blazers recorded more than 20 points. Lillard and Anfernee Simons had 26 apiece while Carmelo Anthony and Gary Trent Jr. both scored 22.
The difference came in shooting percentage: Portland took 15 more shots that OKC in part because Enes Kanter had 22 rebounds (seven offensive), but they hit 46.5% of their 99 attempts (yes, 99!) from the field and 33% of their 42 shots from deep. The Thunder made 51.2% of their looks from the field and shot 18-for-40 from behind the (45%).
“It’s how we gotta play if we want to win,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Play fast, get stops, rebound and run. We find that we’re at our best when we hang our hats on those things offensively.”
The Thunder could’ve put the game away earlier, but there’s no lamenting the fact that they didn’t.
Holding on for the victory is just as sweet, and Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned that there’s things to be learned from Lillard and the Blazers making the late push.
“It’s always good to get a win in those situations,” he said. “I think, myself personally, there’s lessons to be learned in every game, especially the close ones. The best basketball is played in close games.”
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