Portland Trail Blazers Rally Late to Secure Back-to-Back Victories against the Thunder

Written by Pavel Kateliev

Pavel Kateliev is a popular sport journalist, particularly in the fields of football, basketball, tennis, and hockey. He writes daily for Sportingpedia and his work has been translated into at least 20 languages and featured on renowned outlets such as BBC, Yahoo, MCN, Sun, and Evening News, in Italian, English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

, | Updated: November 12, 2026

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija

Key Takeaways:

Portland Trail Blazers clinched a two-game sweep over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 118-108 win
Deni Avdija led the Trail Blazers with 28 points, while Damian Lillard contributed 18 points, including crucial fourth-quarter baskets
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander topped all scorers with 31 points for the Thunder, who surrendered a fourth-quarter lead

Match Analysis

The Portland Trail Blazers overcame a deficit in the final quarter to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-108, securing a sweep in their back-to-back encounters. Deni Avdija surged to 28 points, driving Portland’s offence, while Damian Lillard’s 18 points included vital baskets down the stretch. Jrue Holiday added significant bench scoring with 19 points, and Donovan Clingan stood out on the boards with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks.

WENT BACK TO BACK 😤😤 https://t.co/ZdtYRrAwHZ
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) November 12, 2026

Momentum Shifts and Key Moments

The contest saw the Thunder trail by as much as twelve in the third quarter before Nique Clifford’s three-pointer levelled the scores at 88 with 11:11 remaining. Oklahoma City seized a brief lead, capped by Kenrich Williams’ layup, but it was short-lived as the Trail Blazers’ primary threats reasserted themselves. Avdija and Lillard accounted for 20 of Portland’s 30 fourth-quarter points, reclaiming control of the game.

Lillard’s three-pointer at 6:17 brought Portland within one point at 94-93. The Thunder responded through Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s free throws and a Robert Williams III putback, but Avdija’s trips to the line pushed the Blazers ahead 99-98. Lillard further extended the advantage with a key floater at the two-minute mark, setting the tone for the closing stages.

Statistical Leaders

Player	Team	Points	Rebounds	Assists
Deni Avdija	Portland	28	3	6
Damian Lillard	Portland	18	3	3
Jrue Holiday	Portland	19	3	5
Donovan Clingan	Portland	5	12	2
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	Oklahoma City	31	4	2
Isaiah Hartenstein	Oklahoma City	20	11	6

First Half Recap

The Thunder opened a nine-point advantage, but Portland finished the first half with a 15-4 stretch. After a technical foul on Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigenault brought the score to 51-45, Jrue Holiday’s three-pointer with 1:13 left made it 54-45 in favour of Portland entering the break.