Jalen Williams Sinks Game-Winning Jumper to Seal Thunder Victory Over Trail Blazers
Oklahoma City came out of its four-game road stint with two imposing wins on the back end against two of the hottest teams in the league in the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.
On Tuesday night, it had the chance to finally claim the top spot in the Western Conference pending a win over the Portland Trail Blazers – as the team held the tie breaker over Minnesota.
The Thunder did so, edging the Trail Blazers 111-109 in a thrilling neck-and-neck contest, as Jalen Williams sunk a game-winning jumper to give Oklahoma City a 3-0 advantage in the season series.
Behind 33 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, six blocks from Chet Holmgren and an ultimate game-winner from Williams, the Thunder grinded out a hard-fought win.
The Trail Blazers fought hard, giving a vastly heightened effort than their last time inside Paycom Center on Jan. 11 – as they lost by 62 points, tying the fifth-biggest loss margin in NBA history.
But Portland's personnel was certainly stronger versus Oklahoma City in their third meeting compared to the last – having Malcolm Brogdon and Deandre Ayton in the rotation despite missing Shaedon Sharpe due to injury.
The former Sixth Man of the Year in Brogdon was a factor in the loss, again proving his worth in the league as he posted 18 points.
Anfernee Simons especially had an essential night, hitting one of the biggest shots on the game and logging 17 points
Jerami Grant and Scoot Henderson were vital too – combining for 37 points and six threes.
The opening minutes began fairly even before the Thunder started to eventually gain some separation just under halfway into the quarter.
Eight first-quarter points from Brogdon and six 3-pointers as a team was enough to keep the frame respectable – but Gilgeous-Alexander's 10 points paired with 12 points from the bench unit saw Oklahoma City with a 38-28 lead heading into the second.
Shooting 60% from the field coming into the quarter, the Thunder's hot hand cooled off, and also couldn't quite keep the same quality of play on the other end either.
Quickly into the second frame, Portland cut Oklahoma City's lead to just three with a swift five points from sophomore Jabari Walker.
The Trail Blazers ultimately found a 48-46 advantage nearing the halfway mark through shooting sharply from three and capitalizing from the charity stripe – something the Thunder could not, shooting an abysmal 6-of-14 from the free throw line amidst relinquishing its lead.
Rookie Scoot Henderson led this charge off the bench – though it was a balanced run – adding two shots from 3-point distance and converting his free throw chances.
The Thunder continued to face some issues on top of its woes from the stripe, turning the ball over 10 times in the half and allowing Portland several open looks from deep – remaining on the losing end of a second-quarter surge from the Trail Blazers.
Luckily for Oklahoma City, 13 fouls and 10 turnovers of Portland's own negated some of their performance quality in the quarter, but the Thunder would still find itself down eight by halftime.
Through the Trail Blazer's substantial 18-point swing from the first to second quarter, Grant opened the second half further stamping his name into the contest – providing multiple scores and a block out of the break.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey continued to combat, though, fighting to retake the Thunder's previous lead by connecting on cuts to the rim.
And through a swing of momentum late in the third quarter, Oklahoma City finally reclaimed its lead and outscored the Blazers 30-20 in the frame to go up by two entering the fourth.
An agonizingly close final quarter, having a plethora of lead changes and back-and-forth scores, eventually would decide the outcome.
As been customary, Williams showed himself in the fourth quarter, giving the Thunder a much-needed presence down the stretch along with Gilgeous-Alexander's shooting accuracy through defending contests.
With the score tied 106-106, Simons sunk a massive 3-pointer before a tumultuous final 30 seconds occurred.
Out of a Thunder timeout, an immediate score from Williams led to multiple technical fouls called on Portland head coach Chauncey Billups – giving Gilgeous-Alexander two free throws and the ball.
He'd convert just one of those free throws, tying the game again with 15.6 seconds to play.
But Williams came out with the ball in his hands, creeping to the left and rising up over Simons for an electric game-winning jump shot, sealing Portland's fate and giving the Thunder the top spot in the West.
Oklahoma City will quickly head back on the road to take on Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs at 8:30 on Wednesday on ESPN.
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