Thunder vs. Trail Blazers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The Portland Trail Blazers have struggled during the early portion of the 2016-17 campaign after reaching the second round of the playoffs last season, but they looked the part of a contender on Tuesday at the Moda Center with a convincing 114-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Portland snapped a four-game losing streak and moved to 13-14 with the win, while Oklahoma City dropped to 15-10 after winning seven of eight coming into Tuesday's game.

The Trail Blazers thrived with a balanced offensive attack, as six different players scored in double figures. Mason Plumlee led the way with 18 points, while Damian Lillard just missed a double-double with 17 points and nine assists. C.J. McCollum and Maurice Harkless each scored 15, and Evan Turner led the effort off the bench with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.

Lillard joined some impressive company, as the Trail Blazers noted:

The team as a whole shot 53.8 percent from the field, and Oklahoma City's defense struggled to keep pace throughout the game.

Russell Westbrook felt like a one-man show at times on the other side and ended the game with 20 points, six assists and six rebounds. He may have challenged for a triple-double had the game been closer, but he sat throughout the fourth quarter of the blowout.

Steven Adams chipped in 14 points, but he also turned the ball over four times as part of a larger issue. The Thunder committed 20 turnovers during the game and never generated much momentum in the second half with the slow start.

Part of the issue was the absence of guard Victor Oladipo, who was out with a sprained wrist, per Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman.

Portland took control when it closed a back-and-forth first quarter with an 11-2 run to take a 32-31 lead, even though McCollum didn't score a single point in the opening 12 minutes. While the guard didn't score, he did hit a near full-court heave but released it just after the buzzer sounded.

Lillard led the way in the opening quarter with eight points and four assists, and Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript called him "a near-perfect offensive player at this point."

There was some excitement in the second quarter when Lillard and Westbrook exchanged words after the latter kicked the ball away following a whistle, as the Trail Blazers shared:

Lillard got the last laugh in the first half when he knifed through the defense and hit a layup to give his team a 68-52 advantage at the half. It was a drastic turnaround from when Oklahoma City held a 29-21 lead in the first quarter, and the point guard paced the effort with 14 points and six assists. 

Westbrook spearheaded Oklahoma City's attack with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, but he was just 5-of-13 from the field. The Thunder as a whole shot 34 percent from the field in the first half compared to Portland's sizzling 62.5 percent.

Much of Portland's first-half damage was done with Westbrook on the bench, and Royce Young of ESPN.com pointed out the obvious:

The Trail Blazers controlled the early portion of the third quarter and then extended their dominance with a quick burst. Lillard drilled a three-pointer from well behind the line, and Harkless stole a Westbrook pass and slammed home a dunk to make it 82-59.

NBA on ESPN shared Lillard's deep shot:

What's more, the crowd was getting on Westbrook's case even more as the lead grew after he jawed with officials and Lillard, among others, as Joe Freeman of the Oregonian said:

Portland maintained a commanding advantage for the rest of the quarter thanks in part to Plumlee, who dunked an alley-oop from Lillard and finished a layup in transition. Lillard missed a buzzer-beater, but the Trail Blazers took a 92-71 lead into the fourth.

Josh Eberley of Hoop tweeted: "I guess the world underestimated Oladipo's impact because this Thunder team is dreadful."

The Trail Blazers put things on relative cruise control in the final quarter, and a three-pointer from Turner extended the lead to 99-73. Westbrook and Lillard were on the benches for their respective teams with the game well in hand.

While the drama was gone from the game with Portland so far ahead, Nick Collison picked up a technical foul with the Thunder trailing by 21. Young had some fun with the play:

Neither secondary unit significantly outplayed the other, and the Trail Blazers finished the win with ease.

Postgame Reaction

Oklahoma City's Domantas Sabonis found a silver lining in the loss, per Katz: "Obviously, it's pretty cool. My dad played here, and I got to play here for the first time."

Lillard commented on the win, per CSN Northwest: "Tonight felt like a breakthrough."

Plumlee talked about the defensive effort, per CSN Northwest: "We wanted to make (Westbrook) earn every bucket, and I think we did that."

Allen Crabbe looked ahead, per CSN Northwest: "It was a good win. It'll carry some confidence into this road trip."

What's Next?

The Trail Blazers hit the road for a three-game trip against the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. While Golden State will prove challenging, Portland has a chance to put some of its early struggles behind it and build momentum in the Western Conference after Tuesday's win.

The Thunder face the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns in their next two games. Like Portland, they have an opportunity to pick up some conference wins in the early going.