Portland and Oklahoma City were tied 59–59 at halftime at Moda Center. Then Damian Lillard scored 13 of his 25 points in a 38–21 third quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from the logo at the buzzer, and the Blazers beat the Thunder 123–103 — just their second win over Oklahoma City in the last 21 meetings. Deni Avdija added 24 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 on 8-of-22 shooting and, like Lillard, sat out the fourth quarter.
For two quarters, this was the game the building came for. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points early, Oklahoma City took the first quarter 27–26, and the lead changed hands 14 times before halftime with neither side ever up double digits. Portland’s answer kept coming from two places: Avdija pushing the ball and finishing through contact, and Lillard picking his spots. It was 59–59 at the break, and it felt like a duel.
Then the third quarter started, and the duel ended.
The quarter that broke it
Jared McCain hit a 3-pointer that put Oklahoma City in front 69–67, and Lillard answered with one of his own. Then another. Back-to-back Lillard 3s stretched Portland’s lead to 79–71, Avdija converted a layup and a 3-pointer of his own, and in the closing seconds Lillard walked the ball up, pulled up from the logo and buried it at the buzzer. Portland 97, Oklahoma City 80. The quarter went 38–21, Lillard scored 13 of his 25 in it, and he never played again — the fourth quarter was a formality he watched from the bench.
The guard comparison tells the whole night. Lillard: 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting, four 3-pointers, five-for-five at the line, zero turnovers, +20 in 24 minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander: 26 points, but on 22 shots, 0-for-4 from three, eight rebounds — a good line that cost his team far more to buy. Avdija, meanwhile, ran the offense all night: 24 points on the same 8-of-15, six rebounds, eight assists, +21 in 34 minutes. Their lines sit side by side in this game’s Game Center, and the full season picture lives in our Stats Hub.
Why the building sounded like that
At least one fan came dressed for this. The Oklahoman spotted a Blazers fan in the crowd wearing a homemade shirt of the most famous shot in franchise history — Lillard’s 37-foot series-winner over this same franchise in 2019, the one that ended with him waving the Thunder off the floor. Lillard leads Portland’s record book in points and 3-pointers, and for one quarter on Tuesday the present tense caught up with the nostalgia: the logo shot, the crowd on its feet, Oklahoma City going home early.
Context matters, and it cuts both ways. Oklahoma City played without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace, and still arrived 8–2 on a four-game winning streak. Portland’s defense — long, physical, with Toumani Camara on Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Clingan (13 rebounds) in the middle of it — held the Thunder to 44 second-half points. Sidy Cissoko, starting in place of Scoot Henderson, scored 17; Henderson and Jrue Holiday added 11 each off the bench. Portland snapped its own two-game skid, moved to 7–3, and beat Oklahoma City (8–3) for only the second time in 21 tries. The rematch is Wednesday night, same building — follow both teams the rest of the way on our NBA hub.
Elsewhere Tonight
- Celtics 123, 76ers 101 — covered in tonight’s lead story: Paul George scored 36 in Boston’s win in Philadelphia.
- Knicks 117, Bucks 85 — Jalen Brunson scored 23 and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 16 rebounds as New York routed Milwaukee at Madison Square Garden; Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bucks with 16.
- Suns 133, Clippers 110 — Jordan Goodwin scored 18 points in 14 minutes off Phoenix’s bench, going 6-for-7 from three; Devin Booker added 17 for the Suns, and three Clippers tied with a team-high 13.
- Heat 115, Jazz 109 — Giannis Antetokounmpo posted 30 points and 11 rebounds for Miami in Salt Lake City; Darryn Peterson scored 25 and Ace Bailey 23 for Utah.
- Magic 107, Kings 100 — Franz Wagner went for 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists and Anthony Black added 26 for Orlando; Zach LaVine scored 31 and Darius Acuff Jr. 29 for Sacramento, which fell to 1–10.
Sources · 5 sources
- ESPN — Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers scoreboard, box score and play-by-play, November 10, 2026 (final double-read: two independent scoreboard reads, identical across all six games)
- The Associated Press — “Damian Lillard scores 25 points as the Trail Blazers beat the Thunder 123–103” (game flow, injuries, Cissoko/Henderson, Clingan rebounds, rematch)
- Field Level Media — “Damian Lillard, Deni Avdija propel Trail Blazers past Thunder” (second win in 21 meetings, closing sequence of the third quarter)
- NBC Sports — Damian Lillard player news, November 10, 2026 (13 third-quarter points on 5-of-6 shooting)
- The Oklahoman — “Damian Lillard torches Thunder as Trail Blazers snap OKC’s four-game win streak” (crowd detail, franchise records)
