Thunder Winning Streak Snapped in Blowout Loss to Trail Blazers

The Oklahoma City Thunder had started to build some momentum over the past week with a four-game winning streak, but that came to an end Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. It was a contest in which Oklahoma City was blown out, falling 123-103 on the road and dropping to 8-3 on the season.

Portland's three-point shooting was simply too much for Oklahoma City to overcome, particularly in the second half. The Trail Blazers put together such a dominant third quarter and start to the fourth that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn't even get an opportunity to check back into the game because the deficit never got back within reach.

The Thunder entered the fourth quarter trailing by 17 points after being outscored 38-21 in the third period. Portland never looked back from there, cruising to a 20-point victory.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists, but it was another game in which he struggled with his efficiency. The reigning MVP shot just 8-of-22 from the field and missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.

With Oklahoma City continuing to deal with significant injuries, Gilgeous-Alexander has been tasked with carrying an even larger offensive burden. While he still managed to lead the Thunder in scoring, his struggles shooting the ball made it difficult for the team to keep pace with Portland.

Damian Lillard was the star of the show for the Trail Blazers, scoring 25 points and doing much of his damage in the third quarter. His timely three-point shooting ultimately put the game out of reach.

Portland had built a marginal lead, but Lillard knocked down several big shots from beyond the arc that helped turn a competitive game into a blowout. The Thunder simply didn't have an answer for his offensive production during that stretch.

For Oklahoma City, this was a disappointing result after such an encouraging stretch of basketball. Despite being shorthanded, the Thunder had found ways to win games against quality opponents and appeared to be building momentum heading into this matchup.

Luckily, Oklahoma City won't have to wait long for an opportunity at revenge.

The Thunder and Trail Blazers will face off again Wednesday night in Portland, creating a mini two-game series on consecutive nights.

Oklahoma City has an opportunity to split the series and move into an easier portion of its upcoming schedule with some momentum. However, another loss would drop the Thunder to 8-4 and potentially cause them to slip in the Western Conference standings.

That makes Wednesday's rematch an important opportunity for the Thunder to bounce back and avoid consecutive losses.