The Oklahoma City Thunder attempted a three-star approach last season with Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Carmelo Anthony, but they are quickly finding out this season that less can sometimes be more. And in this case, it is, as the Thunder are rolling after parting ways with Anthony this past off-season, being led by the other two stars that are left. George has been red-hot as of late, and scored 36 points with eight rebounds in the Thunder's 123-114 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. Westbrook added a triple-double of 29 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds for the Thunder, who snapped a three-game losing streak against the Trail Blazers on their home floor.
The Thunder also got production from other parts down low, with Steven Adams and Terrance Ferguson finishing with 14 points apiece. OKC has now won three games in a row to move up to third place in the Western Conference, this after dropping five of six games at one point. During that tough stretch, the Thunder gave up 152, 142, and 138 points, before finding more of a rhythm defensively to get back on track in the crowded West.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 34 points and eight assists, while C.J. McCollum scored 31, but Portland fell a game behind the Thunder in the Western Conference standings. What hurt them in a competitive contest was the 19 turnovers they committed, which is five more than their season average. That cancelled on the production they had, including Jusuf Nurkic finishing with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
The Blazers weren't all to blame for their turnovers, as 16 of them were steals, which George took over as well. PG-13 is second in the NBA in steals per game, only behind Westbrook, at 2.33 steals per game, and he had five of them on this night. Ferguson also stepped in with four for the Thunder, who shot 11-of-23 from three-point range. The Blazers struggled in that part of the game, going 10-for-36 from beyond the arc, despite McCollum shooting 7-of-12 from downtown.
The Thunder will take their third-best record in the West in to a home matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Blazers will visit the Phoenix Suns that same night.
The Thunder also got production from other parts down low, with Steven Adams and Terrance Ferguson finishing with 14 points apiece. OKC has now won three games in a row to move up to third place in the Western Conference, this after dropping five of six games at one point. During that tough stretch, the Thunder gave up 152, 142, and 138 points, before finding more of a rhythm defensively to get back on track in the crowded West.
Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 34 points and eight assists, while C.J. McCollum scored 31, but Portland fell a game behind the Thunder in the Western Conference standings. What hurt them in a competitive contest was the 19 turnovers they committed, which is five more than their season average. That cancelled on the production they had, including Jusuf Nurkic finishing with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
The Blazers weren't all to blame for their turnovers, as 16 of them were steals, which George took over as well. PG-13 is second in the NBA in steals per game, only behind Westbrook, at 2.33 steals per game, and he had five of them on this night. Ferguson also stepped in with four for the Thunder, who shot 11-of-23 from three-point range. The Blazers struggled in that part of the game, going 10-for-36 from beyond the arc, despite McCollum shooting 7-of-12 from downtown.
The Thunder will take their third-best record in the West in to a home matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Blazers will visit the Phoenix Suns that same night.
