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OKC Thunder sets franchise record in rout of Portland Trail Blazers
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- OKC Thunder sets franchise record in rout of Portland Trail Blazers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remembers the emotions he felt on Dec. 2, 2021.
Embarrassment, guilt and determination.
That's the night OKC suffered a 73-point road loss to the Memphis Grizzlies . It marked the largest blowout in NBA history and rock bottom for the struggling Thunder, which was without Gilgeous-Alexander due to concussion protocol.
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"I remember it was embarrassing," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I felt bad just because I wasn't out there with them. … We just made a promise to ourselves to never feel that feeling again."
The Thunder experienced a completely different feeling on Thursday.
OKC earned a 139-77 home win over the Portland Trail Blazers . The 62-point win marked the largest margin of victory in franchise history for the Thunder (26-11), which moved into a tie for first place in the Western Conference.
And this time, Gilgeous-Alexander played. He racked up a game-high 31 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists in just 21 minutes.
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"We've obviously come a long way from that day," Gilgeous-Alexander said of the loss to Memphis. "I think it's been a little bit of fuel to get to where we are today."
The cloud that once hovered over the Thunder's head is long gone.
OKC went from a 24-58 team two seasons ago to one of the biggest breakout teams in the NBA this season.
A lot has changed in two years' time for the Thunder, which didn't just gain fuel from its record-setting loss to Memphis. It gained a learning lesson.
"That was an important game for us," head coach Mark Daigneault said. "You learn that the sun comes up the next day. … It built some good fortitude in the team and some good scars to the point where now it's kind of a badge of honor."
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OKC has a new badge of honor.
It has a record-setting victory under its belt, and it'll take a three-game win streak into a home game against the Orlando Magic at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
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Chet Holmgren torches the short-handed Blazers
When a 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren is barreling towards you on an open fastbreak, there are only two options.
Either get out of the way or intentionally foul to prevent a dunk.
Portland's Jerami Grant went with the latter midway through the first quarter. But despite wrapping up Holmgren with both arms, it wasn't enough.
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Holmgren somehow flipped up a shot and watched it fall through the net for the and-one bucket. It was that kind of a night for the rookie, who finished with 19 points and four rebounds in just 20 minutes.
Holmgren took advantage all night of a Portland team that was short-handed at the center spot. It started 27-year-old rookie Duop Reath due to the absence of DeAndre Ayton (knee), Robert Williams III (knee) and Moses Brown (shoulder).
Holmgren continues to be a driving force for OKC. He recently earned Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for averaging 17.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in December.
Holmgren has been dominant this month as well. He's averaging 19.4 points, five rebounds and two blocks through six games.
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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) makes a basket as he is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) makes a basket as he is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.
OKC wins in the free throw department
After missing a tip shot with 1:46 left until halftime, Shaedon Sharpe let the referees hear it.
The Portland guard was presumably frustrated with the lack of fouls called in favor of his team, which had only attempted five free throws up until that point. But Sharpe's complaints didn't help with the free throw disparity.
In fact, it did the opposite. Sharpe got called for a technical foul, and Portland head coach Chauncey Billups quickly got hit with one as well.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was happy to take the freebies. He cashed in on both technical free throws to extend OKC's lead to 67-38.
OKC won in the free throw department. It went 19 for 22 from the line (86.4%), while Portland went 10 for 16 (62.5%).
Gilgeous-Alexander led the charge. He made all eight of his free throw attempts, which was a welcomed sight after he went 31 for 41 (75.6%) during OKC's recent four-game road stretch.
"I was frustrated with it for sure," Gilgeous-Alexander said of his road struggles. "I've tried to just not harp on it too much. … I just tried tonight to just clear my mind and shoot free throws."
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The free throw disparity proved to be a nice change of pace for OKC, which ranked 15th in the NBA in attempts per game (22.6) entering Thursday.
But the Thunder has made the most of its opportunities at the charity stripe all season. It entered Thursday with the second-highest team free throw percentage (83.7%) in the league.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate beside Portland forward Jerami Grant (9) after Holmgren made a basket and was fouled Thursday night at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrate beside Portland forward Jerami Grant (9) after Holmgren made a basket and was fouled Thursday night at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Josh Giddey records first triple double of the season
Josh Giddey looked like a poised quarterback in the pocket.
After securing an airball under the rim with 9:12 left in the third quarter, the OKC guard immediately unleashed a full-court pass. The ball found Jalen Williams , who made an over-the-shoulder catch on the other end and sank the easy layup.
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The dazzling dime proved to be one of many for Giddey on Thursday. He finished with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes.
It marked the first triple double of the season for Giddey, who recorded four in each of the past two seasons.
"Josh is an elite passer," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "Very high IQ basketball player. … When he's making decisions and when he's aggressive, he's a really good basketball player."
After getting off to a slow start to this season, Giddey has played well as of late.
He's averaging 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 50% shooting from the floor (50% from deep) through the first six games of this month.
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"He went through a little bit of a slump, obviously," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "But he worked at it and got better from it. That's all you can ask. … That's how you grow as a player."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC Thunder sets franchise record in rout of Portland Trail Blazers
