Russell Westbrook had 45 points Thursday night, but Damian Lillard’s 33 points led the Portland Trail Blazers to a 114-109 win against the visiting OKC Thunder.
The Thunder had trimmed Portland’s lead to 110-109 with 17 seconds remaining, but the Blazers managed to hold on.
Portland newcomer Jusuf Nurkic finished 18 points, 12 rebounds, a career-high six assists and five blocks.
Per the AP:
“Even though it got scary there at the end, we were still able to calm ourselves down and get the win,” said Damian Lillard, who finished with 33 points.
Russell Westbrook scored 45 on 12-of-36 shooting for the Thunder, who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Oklahoma City newcomer Taj Gibson added 15 points, including a high-arching buzzer-beater from 61 feet away to put the Thunder up 60-57 at halftime.
“Difference tonight was we just couldn’t make our shots,” Westbrook said. “We missed the same shots that we’ve been making every game.”
