Trail Blazers Outlast Thunder, Hand Defending Champions First Loss of Season
The Blazers overcame a 22-point first-quarter deficit to improve to 5-3.
📍PORTLAND, Ore. — For the first 12 minutes on Wednesday night, the Trail Blazers saw what will happen to any team that doesn't come correct against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Then, they beat them.
This Oklahoma City team has looked in the first two weeks of the season like the most dominant defending champion since the 2016 Warriors. They won 68 games last year and look even better now. On Wednesday, they were missing three starters (Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort and Jalen Williams, the latter of whom hasn't played yet this season) and another key rotation player (Alex Caruso), and at no point did anyone consider that to be an advantage for the Blazers. The Thunder are 12 deep with plug-and-play rotation guys that can easily step in when they're shorthanded. They have the league's best defense and fourth-best offense. They're probably going to win at least 70 games this season, which seems crazy to say out loud but would be even crazier to bet against.
And whatever their record ends up being, the Blazers will be the first team, and one of the few, that put them in the loss column.
