The Portland Trail Blazers escaped OKC with a 115-111 overtime win Tuesday night, as Damian Lillard’s huge night was enough to overcome an equally monster performance from Russell Westbrook.
Lillard finished with 40 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, forcing overtime with a now-familiar fading three, and helping the Blazers notch their 23rd win of the season.
Westbrook erupted for 40 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but the Thunder continue to struggle without both of their All-Stars on the floor.
Per The Oregonian:
In a play reminiscent of his Game 6 “Dame-winner” against the Houston Rockets during the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last May, Lillard rolled off a screen, beat Serge Ibaka to his spot, took the inbounds pass and found the bottom of the net on a 26-foot three-pointer to even the game at 98-98 with three seconds left. […] “They just kind of messed it up a little bit and I just got the shot off,” Lillard said about his shot.
“That was a remarkable win,” head coach Terry Stotts said after the game. “And that’s an understatement. It just kind of shows the type of character we have on this team. Damian obviously hit some big shots, but everybody made some plays. To put that game into overtime was pretty remarkable.”
“I think we’re a good team,” Stotts said. “There’s nothing earth shattering. I think we’re a good team. We have a lot of good players and we have good chemistry. We have a lot of belief in ourselves.”
