Recap: Victorious! Blazers Hold Off OKC In Raucous Game 1, 104-99

For the first time since 2014, the Portland Trail Blazers won Game 1 of an NBA Playoffs series, with a 104-99 victory over Oklahoma City Sunday afternoon on ABC (Box Score). The third-seed Blazers went on an early run, then held off a cold-shooting OKC team to hold serve at home, a year after they were swept at home by the Pelicans. Damian Lillard led the team in scoring, but Portland got contributions from their entire lineup.

Here were a few key details as we settle in for a possibly-crazy first-round series.

Three-pointers made the difference. Oklahoma City struggled all night with their outside shooting. Meanwhile, Lillard swished a thirty-footer on the very first Blazers possession, one of seven made by Portland in the first quarter. That led to...

A wild first quarter. The Blazers leapt ahead 39-24 after the first, and took a 19 point lead at the peak. The Moda Center was rocking throughout, but OKC quieted things down by closing the gap in the second. The OKC run was a bit surprising because...

Paul George really is hurting. George looked like a shell of the MVP candidate we saw in the first half of the season, and looked like an actual drag on Oklahoma City. But he’s not the only one with some bangs and bruises...

Russell Westbrook is hurting, too. He was getting his hand worked on in the first half, and came up limping during the fourth quarter. He played through both.

Kanter held down the middle. He had 20 points and 18 rebounds, including two key offensive boards in the final minute when Portland was nursing a small lead, followed by a layup to seal the win.

What’s Next

The teams pick it up Tuesday night in Portland.