------ Paul George scores 37 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped an eight-game losing streak at Moda Center with a 111-109 win Saturday night over the Blazers.
Paul George continued his sensational play Saturday night as the Oklahoma City Thunder snapped an eight-game losing streak at Moda Center with a 111-109 win over the Blazers on Saturday night.
George scored a game-high 37 points including two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining to ice the game for the Thunder. He connected on five of his nine shots from three-point range and made 12-of-14 at the foul line. George has scored 37 in back-to-back games in wins over the Lakers and Blazers.
Russell Westbrook added 31 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists for Oklahoma City (25-13) and Steven Adams added six points and 12 rebounds.
Portland (22-17) started the game strong building a 62-57 halftime lead on 52% shooting from the floor and extended their lead to seven in the third quarter before the Thunder made their run. Oklahoma City went on a 33-17 run from the third into the fourth quarter to take control of the game at 107-97 with 4:13 to play.
The Blazers responded with a 10-2 run to cut the Thunder lead to two at 109-107 before their comeback effort stalled. Both Lillard and CJ McCollum missed open shots with seconds remaining that would have tied the game.
''It was disappointing, kind of a crazy game,'' Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. ''I thought we had good flow and good momentum most of the game.''
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 23 points and Al-Farouq Aminu had a strong night with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic added 22 points and eight rebounds.
McCollum's shooting woes continued as he connected on just four of his 15 shots finishing with just 10 points.
The 30 assists for the Blazers was a season high.
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will play the second of a back-to-back tomorrow night against the Houston Rockets. Game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM from Moda Center.
Chad's Take- Paul George tonight, James Harden tomorrow. Yikes!