Nov 30, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesClemente Almanza, OKC Thunder WireMon, December 1, 2025 at 3:08 AM UTC·11 min readGetting to his spot on the inbound pass, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to work at the baseline. He swished in a turnaround fadeaway jumper as Shaedon Sharpe fell. The bucket served two purposes — it helped OKC keep its distance on the scoreboard from Portland in the final moments and reach the individual mark of another 20-point performance.
The Oklahoma City Thunder did just enough in a 123-115 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The game had a herky-jerky style with plenty of stops from foul calls and zero momentum from either side.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBoth teams were in the mud from the start. Neither could get into a flow. Eventually, Gilgeous-Alexander made Portland's bet to double him backfire as Isaiah Joe quickly made three triples. The Thunder had a 24-19 lead after the first quarter.
And then the Trail Blazers flipped a switch. Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren had dull possessions with the bench lineup. The defense wasn't as sharp as Deni Avdija snowballed him busy night at the free-throw line. Jerami Grant continues to be pesky.
The Thunder had 30 points in the second quarter, but lost their advantage. They entered halftime in a 55-54 deficit to the Trail Blazers. It was about as lethargic as they've looked all season — especially for Gilgeous-Alexander as he faded into the background.
And then the game's pace was completely halted. Like being stuck behind two semi-trucks on a two-lane highway. The third quarter extended the game by around 20 minutes, as the referees literally called a foul on every possession for a solid stretch there.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Thunder scored 31 points in the third frame, but it wasn't in a flashy way. Instead, free-throw attempts helped reach that number. Likewise, with the Trail Blazers, Avdija went to the free-throw line every other possession. To the point that he had 20 points on four made field goals.
The Thunder were in an 87-85 deficit after the third quarter. Bored with blowouts, they were in line for another close finish. The Williams-Holmgren bench lineup aced the start with eight straight points to start the final frame. They were suddenly up 93-87 as Portland called a timeout less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.
The Thunder maintained that distance from the Trail Blazers as Gilgeous-Alexander checked back in with a 102-96 lead with under six minutes left. The reigning MVP had one of his worst starts. None of that mattered down the stretch. He took over to put this one away.
Gilgeous-Alexander got to his mid-range spots. The Trail Blazers couldn't slow him down. Not even double teams or funky defenses could do that. He crossed the 20-point threshold. And then added a few more buckets for good measure.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Trail Blazers were within two points, but the Thunder answered right back. Both teams went back and forth with buckets, which OKC was glad to do. Eventually, they pulled away late as they made their free-throw attempts. The Portland crowd, hoping for another upset win over the reigning NBA champion, left in disappointment. The Thunder scored 38 points in the final frame to put this one away.
The Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 10-of-29 (34.5%) from 3. They shot 25-of-32 on free throws. They had 27 assists on 44 baskets. Six Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points and five assists. Holmgren finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. Williams totaled 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Lu Dort scored 10 points. Ajay Mitchell had 17 points and Joe had 15 points off the bench.
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers shot 39% from the field and went 16-of-49 (32.7%) from 3. They shot 29-of-37 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 35 baskets. Five Trail Blazers players scored double-digit points.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAvdija led the way with a 31-point, 19-rebound and 10-assist triple-double. He went 19-of-23 on free throws by himself. Yep, you read that right. Toumani Camara had 19 points on five outside makes. Grant finished with 18 points. Kris Murray scored 13 points and Caleb Love scored 12 points.
Well, that's about as ugly as it gets. The Thunder never felt like they were sharp in this one. For the longest, it looked like Gilgeous-Alexander would have his first true stinker of the season. And then he turned it up in the final frame to carry OKC to the finish line.
In their two visits to Portland, the Thunder have had to battle in the mud. Which is exactly what the Trail Blazers want. Except this time, the role players didn't get hot from the outside. Eh, oh well. It happens. Not every game will be a blowout. Sometimes, you gotta roll up your sleeves and win these blue-collar games. That's what OKC did.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementShai Gilgeous-Alexander: B
Nov 30, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers guard Caleb Love (2) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesBiting their nails in nervousness, OKC fans wondered if Gilgeous-Alexander would see his historic 20-point streak end. He did just that with plenty of time to spare as he put on his Superman cape. It wasn't the prettiest start, but he got into a groove in the final moments to out-duel the Trail Blazers.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting, five assists and four rebounds. He shot 0-of-3 from 3 and went 10-of-12 on free throws. He also had a steal.
It took Gilgeous-Alexander some time to get going. The Trail Blazers did an excellent job of keeping the ball away from him. That's probably the best game plan to go with against the NBA's best scorer. It's not like he was missing a bunch of shots. He just simply wasn't able to break free for one-on-one looks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith just 16 points in three quarters, Gilgeous-Alexander's 20-point streak was in danger. And then he silenced those concerns. He found his way to both elbows to swish in mid-range jumpers. He went baseline for his 20th point. He calmly dissected Portland's defense when it mattered most as he scored 10 points in the final frame.
That's the type of stuff MVPs do. Even when he looks Laissez-faire, you can't count out Gilgeous-Alexander from going on a quick scoring burst within the blink of an eye. At the end of the night, Portland likely looked up at the scoreboard and wondered how he dominated after such a quiet game.
Chet Holmgren: B-plus
Nov 30, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) while driving to the basket during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesDriving baseline, Holmgren went to the post on Murray. A couple of elbow moves created a sliver of space. The seven-footer went underneath the Portland defender as he feathered in the finger-roll layup to show off his feel and footwork.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHolmgren finished with 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-of-4 on free throws. He also had three blocks.
Playing against the small-ball Trail Blazers with Donovan Clingan out, Holmgren had a busy night inside the paint. He rolled to the basket and timed his off-ball cuts to get plenty of easy looks around the rim. That's when he received plenty of layups or dunks. When Gilgeous-Alexander rested, he helped man the second unit lineups with Williams.
Returning to playing center, Holmgren racked up his blocks. Testing to see if he's still one of the best shot-blockers, Sidy Cissoko had a poster attempt ripped apart in transition. The block numbers may be down compared to his first two seasons, but that's more of a product of playing a more perimeter-oriented position than his lack of instinct.
The jumper can be shaky at times, but Holmgren isn't solely dependent on it. The seven-footer has the size to get easy looks around the rim with off-ball movement. He helped protect the paint and forced Portland to put up ugly shooting splits.
Jalen Williams: B-minus
Nov 30, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams (8) dribbles the basketball during the first half against Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn ImagesBringing the ball up as Murray guarded him, Williams didn't need a screen. A simple crossover gave him enough momentum to drive towards the basket. He powered his way through contact to bank in the contested layup. The Thunder hope that clutch-time bucket can happen more often.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWilliams finished with 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, eight rebounds and five assists. He shot 2-of-2 on free throws. He also had three blocks.
If this is as bad as Williams will play as he knocks off rust, then the rest of the NBA better be scared. Still not fully trusting his jumper yet, the All-NBA player bulldozed his way through traffic to get to the rim. As the game progressed, he got more comfortable with the ball in his hands. He had 10 points in the second half.
Williams said it'll be a work in progress before he returns to the peak of his powers. That's a fair assessment. After all, he hasn't played in five months as his wrist took longer to recover than expected. But man, if this is the basement, it's a pretty strong house.
The defense picked up right where it left off. Williams showed you why he's arguably OKC's best defender. He can defend the rim and hound perimeter players. Once the jumper starts to fall, the NBA better watch out. It'll be like when Captain America thawed from the block of ice he was frozen in.
Ajay Mitchell: A
Getting the isolation on Murray, it was Mitchell's time to attack. He didn't need a screen as he shoulder-bumped his way to enough space. He slammed the brakes and swished in the elbow jumper to officially end any hopes of a Portland comeback in the final minute.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMitchell finished with 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, five assists and five rebounds. He shot 1-of-3 from 3 and went 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had a steal.
As Gilgeous-Alexander struggled, the rest of the Thunder stepped up to make it a competitive contest until their best player got out of his funk. Mitchell was one of those players. He scored 11 points in the final frame to put Portland away.
A couple of blue-collar drives to the basket and a big-time outside jumper convinced the Thunder to put him in the closing lineup. They buried the Trail Blazers on the scoreboard as they couldn't slow him down. He's been one of OKC's best developmental stories in recent years. This was the latest chapter of that.
Isaiah Joe: A
Doubling Gilgeous-Alexander, the Trail Blazers quickly realized they couldn't get away with that. As soon as Joe checked in, he made his presence known. One triple. Two triples. Three triples. All within the first three minutes of his night, too.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJoe finished with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting and four rebounds. He shot 3-of-6 from 3 and went 4-of-4 on free throws.
With the offense in the mud, Joe helped get the Thunder out of it. He scored nine points in the first quarter. All those buckets turned important as they got into a flow the rest of the way. Playing only 15 minutes, he made his presence known with hot outside shooting.
The NBA's deepest team can pick and choose which role players to go with. One night, it's Joe. Another night, it's Aaron Wiggins. The Thunder have the luxury to mix and match with which complementary players work best against certain opponents on a night-to-night basis.
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: SGA leads Thunder to 123-115 win over Trail Blazers
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