Blazers’ Lillard hits 3s down stretch to stop Thunder

(Field Level Media) Damian Lillard scored 23 points, including three consecutive 3-pointers in a fourth-quarter stretch, to lead the visiting Portland Trail Blazers to a 102-99 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday.

The Trail Blazers never led by more than nine points in a competitive game wire-to-wire. But Lillard’s hot fourth quarter provided them just enough breathing room to hold off the Thunder.

When Lillard was not scoring in the fourth, he distributed to teammates for open looks. Three of his game-high 13 assists came in the final minutes. He twice found Rodney Hood, who scored five of his nine points down the stretch, including for a key corner 3pointer that extended the Portland lead to five with 30 seconds remaining.

Lillard also dished a crucial assist to Hassan Whiteside on a dunk immediately following the guard’s 3-point flurry. Whiteside registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Oklahoma City cut the lead to two after Whiteside’s dunk, countering with two Nerlens Noel slams. Noel scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.

Hood’s 3-pointer ultimately put the game out of reach. Portland closed its three-game road swing through Texas and Oklahoma 2-1, bookending a loss at San Antonio with victories over the Dallas Mavericks and Thunder. Guard CJ McCollum capped a high-scoring road trip with his lowest output of the three games, 22 points. He made seven turnovers, but shot 5 of 10 from 3-point range.

As a team, the Trail Blazers hit 48.6 percent from deep.

Oklahoma City shot a dismal 14.8 percent from behind the arc. Danilo Gallinari was the only member of the Thunder to make multiple 3-pointers, going 3 of 9 en route to 15 points. Chris Paul led Oklahoma City with 21 points, and Dennis Schroder added 17 off the bench.

Thunder wing Hamidou Diallo recorded a doubledouble with 12 points and 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards. Another Kentucky product like Diallo — Portland’s Skal Labissiere — played a strong game off the bench, with seven points, four rebounds, two blocks, a steal and an assist for a game-high 13 plusminus rating.