OKC Thunder's Historic Season Start Ends with Loss to Portland Trail Blazers
The OKC Thunder faced a tough road defeat against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Despite leading by 22 points in the first half, the Thunder lost 121-119 as Portland mounted a strong comeback in the fourth quarter.
This loss broke the Thunder’s record-setting 8-0 start to the season, leaving them at 8-1. The team was missing key players due to injuries and rest: Chet Holmgren (lower back sprain), Lu Dort (right upper trap strain), and Alex Caruso (rest) all sat out during the second night of a back-to-back game.
“I thought we had a chance to control the game, and we had some stretches that were pretty costly,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought the guys really tried to grit it out and gave ourselves a chance down the stretch, but we didn't execute enough to win.”
Key Takeaways
- Jaylin Williams, still recovering from an elbow to the face against the Clippers the previous night, wore a bandage above his swollen left eye covering three stitches but remained competitive throughout the game.
- Williams confidently confronted Donovan Clingan in the final minute of the first quarter. When Clingan, the Trail Blazers’ 7-foot-2 center, went for a chip shot, Williams, a 6-foot-9 forward, rose higher for a powerful block.
Despite injuries and a strong opposition rally, the Thunder showed resilience but ultimately fell short in execution during crucial moments.
“The guys really tried to grit it out,” Daigneault said, “but we didn't execute enough to win.”
Author's summary: The Oklahoma City Thunder’s best start to a season ended at 8-1 after a tough loss to Portland, highlighting both strong effort and key execution gaps.