Recap: OKC Holds On, Beats Blazers 111-109

Oklahoma City and Portland looked like evenly-matched foes for most of the night, but Paul George was the difference. OKC went on a run late in the third quarter, then held off a furious Blazers rally to win 111-109. Here are a few essentials from the game.

• A tale of two halves. In the first half, the Blazers’ bench looked like they could beat the Warriors, led by new rotation member Jake Layman, who scored 11 points. And Jusuf Nurkic continued his torrid run, looking like an All-Star candidate in the first half. But in the second half, he was best described as “nondescript”.
• Westbrook’s Yips Continue. Russ looked better than recent days, but needed 28 shots to reach 31 points, while missing both three-point attempts.
• Nearly a miracle comeback. OKC took a 10 point lead late in the fourth, similar to Portland’s previous game in Sacramento. And like in Sacramento, Portland made a furious comeback. However, OKC’s defense was stronger, Portland missed a few miracle shot they hit against the Kings, and Paul George was able to stem the tide with two late free throws.

What’s Next

Oh boy. A night’s sleep, and the Houston Rockets in town tomorrow night. Buckle up.