The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t hold onto a 22-point lead in a 121-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. It was the first defeat of the season after starting the year a franchise-best 8-0 record.
Juggling injuries all season, the Thunder were without several of their top players. Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso were all out. That left Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alone to score 35 points on high-volume shooting. Aaron Wiggins stepped up with 27 points. Ajay Mitchell had 21 points.
Meanwhile, Deni Avdija had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He shot 15-of-16 on free throws. Jrue Holiday helped with 22 points and six rebounds. Jerami Grant had 20 points off the bench.
Let’s look at some of the best photos from the Thunder’s two-point loss to the Trail Blazers: