Blazers Win Game 1; Snap 10 Game Playoff Losing Streak
Portland, Oregon – (102.9 and 750 the Game) Dame hit multiple 3-point bombs, Cj slashed and scored, Kanter was a beast inside and the Blazers snapped their 10 game playoff losing streak, beating the OKC Thunder 104-99. Damian Lillard finished with 30 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals. It didn’t look like McCollum’s ankle was bothering him at all today, as he scored 24 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Enes Kanter was the x-factor this afternoon, playing great inside, as he finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds.
The Blazers played inspired basketball in that 1st quarter as they were clearly tired of hearing all the talk about last year’s playoff failure. They shot 7-10 from 3-point land in that quarter, their defense was stifling, and they built a 39-25 early lead. The Thunder did claw their way back into the game, trailing by only 6 points going into the half.
The Thunder were able to cut the lead down to 1 point late in the 4th quarter, but another 3-point bomb from Damian Lillard pushed the lead back to 4 points and Portland cruised to victory from there.
OKC star Paul George struggled from the field today, scoring 26 points on 24 shot attempts. It clearly looked like his shoulder injury was still bothering him. Russell Westbrook recorded another triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Portland now takes a 1-0 series lead, it’s the first time they have won the first game of a playoff series since 2014 against the Houston Rockets. Up next, game 2 is Tuesday night at 7:30 from the Moda Center. Make sure to tune in right after the final whistle of that one for the Last Quarter with Peter Sampson as he’ll break down that game and all things NBA playoffs.
