The Portland Trail Blazers came oh so close to upsetting the Oklahoma City Thunder in a surprisingly good game on Wednesday night. Portland’s defense and three-point shooting kept them in it against a superior squad on the road until a late-game rally put OK over the top 109-99. Jalen Williams led the Thunder with 30 while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 28. Shaedon Sharpe led the Blazers with 21, albeit on 6-16 shooting.
Here are some of the critical factors that buoyed the Blazers and swayed the outcome.
Active Defense
Shaedon Sharpe and Scoot Henderson started from Portland tonight alongside Toumani Camara.