Game Thread GAME# 16: THUNDER @ BLAZERS - JANUARY 25, 2021 - MONDAY, 7:00, NBCSNW

[Chris Craig]

Our only loss of the season with Dame/CJ/Nurk to a sub .500 team. 1 loss.

And now we don't even have CJ or Nurk against them this time. A loss

 

[DDolla]

The good news is that... Simons I think is gaining that confidence and our young guys are getting PT

 

[PHXBlazer1]

Disagree. Muscala is the next steph curry well at least against us... Dort is nasty , Alexander , they not bad team they beat the nets, and lost to Jazz by 1. If we had Rodney hood and Dame doesn’t have worst shooting night ever we win. We had 4 potential starters out. The season is very early our bench getting great minutes and experience. Rocco and Hood will be back and we got 3 days off. We will beat Houston and bulls on road.

We make players like Muscala look like Steph Curry cause we still haven't figured out how to defend the three point line in 8 plus years under Stotts. Their roster was put together to tank, without it being too obvious. Yet they still had more pride and played a better game than we did tonight. That's pathetic.

 

[Tince]

And now we don't even have CJ or Nurk against them this time. A loss

Yes, we will/should lose to a lot more sub .500 teams without 2 of our best 3 players. To think otherwise would be crazy.

 

[OneSport3]

Before tonight, other than SGA and maybe Dort, I don’t think you could name another player on this OKC roster.

 

[AldoTrapani]

The good news is that... Simons I think is gaining that confidence and our young guys are getting PT

Who cares. We ain’t doing shit this year anyways. I say blow it up and get as many picks as possible

 

[Tince]

Stotts wouldn't play hood on a back to back even if it cost us the game

Now you're blaming a coach for not playing an injured player? Wow

 

[Chris Craig]

Now you're blaming Stotts for not playing an injured player? Wow

He wasn't injured. Stotts was scared he was going to get injured. Doesn't want to play him on second of back to backs

 

[PHXBlazer1]

Who cares. We ain’t doing shit this year anyways. I say blow it up and get as many picks as possible

Like the team that beat us tonight?

 

[AldoTrapani]

Blazers are not very good. I don’t understand why we don’t start over. Giving up 125 points to the worst offense in the NBA? Lolol

 

[Tince]

He wasn't injured. Stotts was scared he was going to get injured. Doesn't want to play him on second of back to backs

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.



I get it fun to blame everything on one person, but at least make sure what you're saying with confidence can't be proven wrong.

 

[AldoTrapani]

Like the team that beat us tonight?

Absolutely. They have a brighter future than us

 

[Pinwheel1]

The good news is that... Simons I think is gaining that confidence and our young guys are getting PT

Simons made that one dunk switching to his left hand look easy in traffic. That was an incredible shot. Also loved the hook in the lane. He was dialed in from deep.

 

[BlazerBeav]

I sure couldn’t name anyone. It’s insane to have lost that game. Especially knowing we have big road trip ahead.

 

[TBpup]

Simons made that one dunk switching to his left hand look easy in traffic. That was an incredible shot. Also loved the hook in the lane. He was dialed in from deep.

Those are the types of performances I want to see. With all the injuries, play the heck out of Ant, Trent, Giles, Little and DJJ. Develop them as much as you can so they can contribute when it matters.

 

[AldoTrapani]

I sure couldn’t name anyone. It’s insane to have lost that game. Especially knowing we have big road trip ahead.

It’s actually good we lost. We need to blow this team up. No need to keep fighting the inevitable

 

[DDolla]

Who cares. We ain’t doing shit this year anyways. I say blow it up and get as many picks as possible

I actually would love to rest Dame and let him enjoy his babies. Let the young guys play and call it a season

 

[Tince]

I actually would love to rest Dame and let him enjoy his babies. Let the young guys play and call it a season

So resting Hood when he's hurt is unacceptable, but resting Dame when he's healthy is fine? That's some wild logic.

 

[wizenheimer]

well, that was....discouraging

* since I've been a Simons skeptic I'll say that I was more impressed with him tonight than in any game since that Sac. game 82 in his rookie season...and that game was a fluke. Obviously he isn't going to shoot like this every game but he was moving around with control tonight. But...he's not in any way a PG; or at least he hasn't demonstrated those skills yet. That's why Dame had to play 39 minutes in the 2nd of a B2B

* Kanter's effort chasing rebounds is amazing. He has flaws but the things he does do well, he does very very well

* Dame had 10 assists tonight. The other 7 players only had 7 assists, and Kanter had 3 of those, and Giles had 2 of the remaining 4. That's 17 assists on 46 FG's and that is terrible. That lack of play-making from all the perimeter players except the starting PG is a major handicap. Melo-Jones-Trent-Sinons-Little combined for 154 minutes and 2 assists. I take it back...that's not terrible, that's pathetic, and it's a losing style of basketball

* how weird is this season? Portland is 5th seed, 4 games out of first. But they are only 3.5 games out of 14th seed

 

[LayneStaley]

I feel bad for Charles Barkley.

 

[Chris Craig]

I feel bad for Charles Barkley.

Eh $100,000 is pocketchange to him

 

[wizenheimer]

Eh $100,000 is pocketchange to him

a post like that is a nerd-challenge to me

so then, I calculated 100K in quarters, converted to grams, then converted to pounds. 100K in quarters is 5000 pounds of pocket change; 2.5 tons. Even a guy as big as Barkley might have trouble packing that around in his pocket

 

[Darkwebs]

Highlight of the game. I could watch this over and over.

 

[Darkwebs]

Stotts appropriately called the 1st half defense...."Pathetic".

 

[Serbian]

H

I actually would love to rest Dame and let him enjoy his babies. Let the young guys play and call it a season

Dame making 30 million a year and next year 40 million. Cry me a river i had to work real job, when both my kids were born and i make fraction of s penny compared to him. So GTFOOH

 

[THE HCP]

That’s not foul!! Thunder deserves this win

good for them. And to think dame put out this shoes to clown.

That was adidas decision and Dame was actually upset about it. Get your facts straight kid.

 

[THE HCP]

This season is fucked

And now that you have taken the first step and acknowledged this, the rest of the season should be a breeze. No need to get all upset right? No reason to believe we have a chance to win many games.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Postgame Notes – January 25, 2021
Oklahoma City 125, Portland 122
Game No. 16, Home Game No. 10


TEAM
• Portland shot 14-of-41 (34.1%) from 3-PT range, while Oklahoma City was 18-of-40 (45.0%) from deep. Portland has made at least 10 three-pointers in 29 consecutive games dating back to the 2019-20 season, the fifth-longest such streak in NBA history.
• The Trail Blazers pulled down 14 offensive rebounds to the Thunder’s nine, and Portland outscored Oklahoma City 20-19 in second-chance points.
• The Trail Blazers had six players score 20 or more points for the first time this season. The last time four Portland players recorded 20+ was on August 15th, 2020 vs. Memphis (Lillard, McCollum, Nurkic, Anthony).
• Both teams recorded 46 points in the paint.

PLAYER
• Anfernee Simons scored a season-high 26 points (10-17 FG, 6-10 3-PT) to go with two rebounds, one assist and one steal. It was the second-highest scoring total of his career.
• Damian Lillard scored 26 points (8-22 FG, 3-12 3-PT, 7-8 FT) to go with six rebounds and 10 assists. It was his second double-double of the season.
• Gary Trent Jr. recorded 22 points (9-17 FG, 4-9 3-PT), one rebound and two steals in his first start of the season. It was his second game of the season with 20+ points.
• Enes Kanter finished with 13 points (5-10 FG, 3-4 FT), 22 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes. It was a season-high in boards for Kanter, and the fifth time he’s reached 22 rebounds in his career.
• Carmelo Anthony had a season-high 22 points (9-21 FG, 1-6 3-PT, 3-4 FT), six rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in his first start of the season. It was the second time this season he’s reached the 20-point mark.
• Harry Giles contributed four points on 2-of-2 shooting, six rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes off work off the bench.
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander paced the Thunder with 24 points (8-12 FG, 3-4 3-PT, 5-10 FT), nine rebounds, six assists and season-high two blocks.
• Mike Muscala finished with a season-high 23 points (8-12 FG, 6-10 3-PT, 1-2 FT), two rebounds and one steal in 21 minutes. His six three-pointers were a career-high, and he was one off his career high in scoring (24, Mar. 28, 2018 vs. MIN).
• Darius Bazley added 19 points (6-11 FG, 3-6 3-PT, 4-6 FT), seven rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes, with his three three-pointers tying a season-high.

 

[THE HCP]

I give them their props. A garbage team beat us. Good for them and their effort.

At what point do WE become the garbage team and not be expected to win every night?

 

[THE HCP]

He wasn't injured. Stotts was scared he was going to get injured. Doesn't want to play him on second of back to backs

Nah, he was injured. We have footage of him trying to warm up and was in some pain.