Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Oklahoma City Thunder will live to see another day, as their 101-90 home victory over the Portland Trail Blazers guaranteed that their postseason plans remain in the air until Wednesday.
The Thunder jumped out to an early lead over Portland, led from the start by Russell Westbrook who entered the day suspended, though the league allowed him to play after it rescinded his 16th technical foul.
He fell three assists short of a triple-double as he succeeded in all spheres against a Blazers team that—despite a few runs throughout the contest—ultimately never captured the lead.
Westbrook led an Oklahoma City squad that was without key players in Kevin Durant (foot) and Serge Ibaka (knee). Portland, meanwhile, was without Arron Afflalo (shoulder) and LaMarcus Aldridge (foot). Adding to the Blazers' injury woes, Nicolas Batum and C.J. McCollum were both ruled out after suffering early injuries against the Thunder.
| Russell Westbrook | A |
| Enes Kanter | A- |
| Steven Adams | B+ |
| Dion Waiters | D |
| Rest of Team | C- |
| Damian Lillard | C |
| Meyers Leonard | A |
| Chris Kaman | B |
| Joel Freeland | B+ |
| Rest of Team | D |
Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook: A
The league gave Westbrook another chance when it rescinded the technical foul he drew Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers. In classic Westbrook fashion, the Thunder's superstar point guard didn't let the opportunity slip through his fingers.
Finishing the night with 36 points (13-of-27 shooting), 11 rebounds and seven assists, the MVP candidate paced his team to the win, dominating on both ends of the floor as he gave the Thunder's playoff hopes another breath of life.
Not only was he dynamite offensively, but Westbrook also added a great defensive performance as he shut down All-Star point guard Damian Lillard on the other end of the floor.
Westbrook established his dominance from the start in another well-rounded effort as the Thunder's leading man.
Enes Kanter: A-
Once again, Enes Kanter served as Westbrook's sidekick on the offensive end, totaling 27 points on 13-of-20 shooting. He was firing on all cylinders, dominating the post while also shooting the ball efficiently from mid-range.
Consistent with the narrative that has unfolded since he moved to OKC, Kanter struggled defensively as Meyers Leonard enjoyed one of the best games of his career.
Nonetheless, Kanter came through as a scorer and a rebounder—he grabbed 13, including six of the offensive variety—which has seemingly become his role on this short-handed Thunder squad.
Steven Adams: B+
Steven Adams' offensive contributions against Portland were nothing special. In fact, going 2-of-5 from the floor and 4-of-10 from the charity stripe, he likely hurt the team more than he helped on the scoring front.
He did, however, add six offensive boards, but his overall offensive impact was hardly anything special.
Defensively, though, Adams was a monster. He anchored the middle to the tune of four first-half blocks.
Such a performance was greatly needed given Kanter's defensive struggles and the continued absence of Serge Ibaka. Even if Adams' game was one-dimensional, Westbrook and Kanter shouldered the scoring burden. The Thunder needed Adams on the other end of the court, and the second-year big man stepped up.
Dion Waiters: D
Dion Waiters played a strong opening minute, only to follow it with a putrid shooting performance summed up by his 4-of-21 clip.
He did add seven rebounds and score the team's third most points (13), but it was hardly an ideal night for Waiters, who couldn't seem to find the bottom of the net.
Rest of Team: C-
At this point, Anthony Morrow is just about the only "other guy" worth mentioning.
The three-point sharpshooter delivered 11 points, including a late three that helped silence a Portland comeback in the final quarter.
The rest of the bench scored just four points, with D.J. Augustin and Nick Collison each going 1-of-5 from the floor.
Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard: C
Despite being stuck in a similar situation as Westbrook as far as injuries go, Damian Lillard did not step up to lead his team as fans would have liked.
Instead, Lillard found himself outplayed by the opposing point guard on both ends of the floor. He scored just 10 points, taking only nine shots.
The offense flowed through the team's big men, as Lillard failed to pull through with a big performance on a night that it was so desperately needed.
Meyers Leonard: A
After a hot shooting start, Meyers Leonard missed a large chunk of the opening half due to foul trouble.
However, with a career-high 24 points, his first-half hiatus didn't stop him from enjoying a solid night. The 7-footer was lethal from long range, shooting 5-of-9 from deep and stretching the floor against a low-post Oklahoma City frontcourt tandem.
Even in a losing effort, Leonard's surprise contributions were indicative of what he's capable of come playoff time as a serviceable stretch option at the 5.
Chris Kaman: B
Aldridge's injury opened the door for Chris Kaman to play an extended role—an opportunity of which he took full advantage.
He scored 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting, using his strength to dominate the offensive post.
However, he too fell victim to the injury bug and didn't return after being pulled after just 16 minutes.
Joel Freeland: B+
Joel Freeland also got extra minutes in light of the injuries. He too found success, scoring a career-high 16 points—the bulk of which came in the second half.
He was efficient despite not taking too many shots from inside the key. The majority of his shots were from mid-range—from the extended block—as he took advantage of the OKC interior tandem's preference to defend the rim.
Rest of Team: D
Like Oklahoma City, Portland's roster has been reduced significantly due to injuries.
Robin Lopez was held to just two shots and one rebound in the starting lineup. Off the bench, Allen Crabbe and Tim Frazier combined to go 3-of-16, though Alonzo Gee hit a few big shots—including a rare non-Meyers Leonard three for Portland—en route to an 11-point performance.
Up Next
The Blazers finish their regular season on Wednesday with an away contest against the Dallas Mavericks. Both Portland (No. 4) and Dallas (No. 7) have their postseason seeds sealed, rendering the game meaningless on that front.
The Thunder, meanwhile, will visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday as they remain tied with the New Orleans Pelicans in a battle for the West's final playoff spot.
Oklahoma City needs both a win on Wednesday and a New Orleans loss to the San Antonio Spurs in order to slip into the postseason.
