‘Something special in Portland:’ Trail Blazers rally from 22-point deficit to stun Oklahoma City

You will no doubt remember Deni Avdija’s highlight-reel finishes and pretty passing.

You will surely recall Jrue Holiday’s clutch shooting and difference-making defense.

And you will probably reminisce about Duop Reath’s momentum-building three-pointers and Toumani Camara’s suffocating effort and Jerami Grant’s important shot-making.

But lost amid the myriad unforgettable performances in the Portland Trail Blazers’ thrilling 121-119 come-from-behind victory over the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder was something more important to the big-picture outlook of the franchise.

The Blazers showed yet again they are no longer a bumbling, fumbling, punching bag the rest of the NBA beats up on. They had a chance to roll over Wednesday night. And when they couldn’t hit anything but the side of the backboard — well, actually, they managed to do that twice — and stunningly found themselves staring at a 22-point first-quarter deficit against the NBA’s final undefeated team, it sure seemed like they would.

After all, they had done it countless times in recent years.

“Back in the day, in those moments, it will turn into 40 and it will be like a garbage-time game,” Avdija said of that gargantuan first-quarter hole. “But I think the mentality we have now, with the team and the aggressiveness and the mindset … it shows character. And we have a lot of character on this team.”

During a memorable six-day stretch, the Blazers (5-3) earned mettle-building victories over two of the best teams in the Western Conference, using clutch late-game shooting, ferocious defense and steely resolve to topple the Denver Nuggets (5-2) and Thunder (8-1).

One of the biggest questions entering the season was how big of a step forward the rebuilding franchise could take now that the Blazers are chasing victories instead of NBA lottery ping pong balls. Well, after two weeks and two of the most impressive victories Blazermaniacs have seen in some time, the potential of this team might just be better than anyone imagined.

“Honestly, I feel like the way that we play, the energy that we come with every game, it’s not going to be an easy night for anyone who comes in here or who plays against us,” Holiday said. “I think that’s part of our identity; to make it tough on teams. And it just goes to show that no matter who’s going to play or who’s going to be out there, we’re going to give you 100%. So any team that we play against, we feel like we have a chance.”

It’s been a while since a Blazers player has been able to say that with any kind of honest conviction.

But it’s been a while since the Blazers have had this much promise.

Even as Avdija bricked his way to 11 consecutive missed shots to open the game and Camara committed a litany of turnovers and Jerami Grant misfired all over the court and the Thunder’s vaunted offense punished the Blazers with 55% shooting, six three-pointers and 41 first-quarter points, there was never any quit on the Blazers’ sideline.

An early 22-point hole?

A 41-21 deficit at the end of the first quarter?

Ho-hum.

“We weren’t done,” Donovan Clingan said. “We knew that it was a winnable game. We just put our heads down and, possession-by-possession, guarded and really just did what we had to do.”

And, slowly but surely, the Blazers battled back. Avdija fought through cold shooting by creating scoring chances for teammates and turbo-charging his way to the free throw line. Holiday unleashed a flurry of memorable three-pointers to close the gap. Reath came off the bench to swish four important, momentum-building long-range shots. Grant fought on both sides of the court. Camara made the Thunder’s stars work for every point they scored.

By the time the fourth quarter arrived, the Blazers only trailed 86-81 and you could feel the energy of 16,882 swelling at the Moda Center.

When Holiday wiggled into the paint and swished a 10-foot jumper with 6:44 left, it gave the Blazers their first lead of the game at 97-96. And they never trailed again.

On the ensuing possession, Holiday forced Ajay Mitchell into an over-and-back turnover, then followed with a clutch three, nudging the Blazers’ lead to 100-96.

Back-and-forth the teams went from there, but no matter how much pressure Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put on the Blazers, no matter how many tough drives Mitchell finished in traffic, the Blazers had an answer.

Avdija, who suddenly rediscovered his shooting stroke, was a beast in the final period, recording 11 points, three assists, one rebound and one block. He converted a tough layup around multiple bodies in traffic to push the Blazers’ lead to 109-104, swished a clutch three to make it 115-109, then recorded a pair of assists in the final 1:25 that resulted in a Shaedon Sharpe layup and Camara dunk.

In the end, all that was left was for the Blazers to hold on. And they did when Holiday made two free throws with 6.5 seconds left and the Blazers — clinging to a 121-118 edge — withstood a wild final defensive sequence.

Out of a timeout, the Thunder worked an inbounds pass to Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning MVP — who finished with 35 points, nine rebounds and four assists — found an open look at a three. But the shot rimmed out.

Then it was bedlam. Cason Wallace shagged the rebound and quickly passed to Isaiah Joe at the top of the key for a three. His shot missed … but the game didn’t end. Officials whistled Camara for a foul and, after review, it was upheld. During the review, it was also determined that Joe’s foot was on the line, sending him to the line for two free throws with 0.6 seconds left. He made the first and missed the second on purpose.

A wave of long Oklahoma City arms crashed toward the rim to try to tap-in a game-tying shot, but none could make contact with the ball. Instead, it bounced harmlessly into the arms of Robert Williams III.

Mark Mason bellowed “Blazers win, Blazers win” and red and white confetti fell from the rafters.

“It’s a resilient group, guys that never give up,” Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter said. “And today they showed this again. I’m still disappointed about their last Laker game, because we showed that we can compete like this … So I’ve got to be on my A-game and try to get them to play like this every night.”

But on this night, in the end, the Blazers earned an A. And never more than in the fourth quarter, when they made 13 of 16 shots, including 6 of 7 threes, and outscored the Thunder 40-33.

Avdija fell one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and one block. Holiday recorded 22 points and six rebounds, Grant produced 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Camara added 16 points and five rebounds.

But it was Reath, who delivered those four momentum-building threes in 20 minutes off the bench, who took home the game ball — injured guard Matisse Thybulle awarded it to him in the postgame locker room.

“The way that he knocked down those shots and made some big plays really boosted the morale and boosted our energy on the court,” Holiday said of Reath.

Meanwhile, Wednesday’s win also boosted the legitimacy of these up-and-coming Blazers.

It was the first time since April 3, 2021, that Portland defeated the Thunder, ending a 16-game losing streak.

Denver and Oklahoma City found out the hard way that these are not the same old bumbling Blazers. But they surely won’t be the last.

“I think teams are coming here and they know they can’t play with us, they can’t play around,” Avdija said. “We’re tough. We’re aggressive. We’re talented. we’re young. We’re fast. And we’re on an uprise. There’s something special in Portland and we’re getting better and better and better. And I think the future is going to be great. We’re still learning sometimes. I don’t know what our capabilities, but I think it’s high.”

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