OKC Blowout Portland by 62

Written by: William Petersen •

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Via NBA Twitter

After two monster blowouts in one night, many fans took to X, the app formerly known as Twitter, to express their discomfort with how NBA matchups have shaken out so far this season. The fans are not disappointed in the matchups but with the results of all the back to back games and how that is affecting the overall product of the game. The Boston Celtics traveled to Milwaukee for a date with Giannis and the Bucks after a thrilling overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves the night before and this was quickly reflected in last night’s 135-102 loss. Another blowout was found in the Association as the Oklahoma City Thunder dismantled a mediocre Portland Trail Blazers squad 139 to 77.

The Oklahoma City Thunder may just be the debutant of the NBA after roaring out to a stellar start to the 2023/24 season sitting currently tied with the Timberwolves for first in the Western Conference. This stellar start can mainly be attributed to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP season he is crafting, averaging 31.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, on 55.5 percent shooting. SGA continued his dominant run of form as he put up 31 points in just 21 minutes while Josh Giddey added a triple double and Chet Holmgren finished with 19 points in just 20 minutes on the floor. The Thunder continue to be one of the dark horses of the NBA as they continue to hang in the top three of the Western Conference and SGA and company continue to rise to the occasion every evening. I know Joel Embiid is having a monster start to the season but if SGA continues to put his team in this position, averaging these types of numbers, I do not know how you couldn’t give him the MVP award. If he is not on this roster the Thunder are a bottom five team in the West.

To see an NBA squad lose by 62 points and not even put up 80 points should have all the alarms ringing for Chauncey Billups and the entire Portland front office. After gambling with Scoot Henderson at the number two overall pick, the Blazers are starting to see the fruits of this gamble go rotten by the minute as Henderson is one of the worst top two draft picks I've seen since Anthony Bennett was drafted at number one by the Cavaliers in 2013. The Blazers were aiming for Henderson to be Damian Lillard’s successor after he was traded to the Bucks in September with a 3-team trade with the Phoenix Suns. Since losing their franchise player, the Blazers have been in full rebuild mode and Henderson is looking like he is going to take much more time than originally thought to develop into an NBA talent. Scoot Henderson had 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, and shot 4/21 from the field in their historic loss as the team's point guard continues to struggle in his rookie campaign. Henderson’s averages for the season; 12.2 points per game, 4.9 assists per game, shooting 29.3 percent from 3, and 36 percent from the field. As Henderson still continues to slowly mold into an NBA point guard, I wonder how long it will take for Chauncey Billups to bench the 19 year old, or continue to stink up the NBA and lock in another top three pick for next year's draft. Portland now has two losses of 60 points or more in their franchise's history, the 62 point loss last night and another 65 point loss to the Indiana Pacers in 1998.

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