Damian Lillard and the Blazers Swept the Thunder in Two Nights: What It Means for Portland

Portland got Oklahoma City twice in two nights at the Moda Center, and won both.

Tuesday it was 123-103. Wednesday it was 118-108. The Blazers are 8-3 and fourth in the Western Conference. The Thunder are 8-4 and flew out of Portland having been swept in a season series by a team nobody picked to be here.

Lillard Is Back, and He Is Not a Ceremonial Presence

The reason to care is Damian Lillard, who is 36 years old and did not play a single game last season.

He tore his left Achilles in April 2025, in Game 4 of Milwaukee’s first-round series against Indiana, three games after returning from a blood clot in his right calf. The Bucks waived him that July and stretched the remaining $113 million on his deal. Portland signed him on July 19, 2025, reportedly three years and $42 million, and he then sat out all of 2025-26 rehabbing.

He has now played all 11 of Portland’s games this season. He is averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 29.1 minutes, shooting 42.7 percent overall, 33.3 percent from three and 86.8 percent from the line.

Tuesday he scored 25 on 8-of-15 shooting in 23 and a half minutes, including 13 in a third quarter where Portland outscored OKC 38-21. Wednesday he had 18, nine of them in the fourth, and the Moda Center chanted MVP at him while he shot free throws in the final minute.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about him after the first game. “Obviously, he’s as decorated as they come,” he said, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman. “He’s one of the best shooters to ever touch a basketball, and that doesn’t leave you.”

Mark Daigneault’s version was shorter. “He hasn’t lost a step.”

The Caveat, Stated Plainly

Oklahoma City played Wednesday without Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace. That matters, and anyone telling you these two games prove Portland is the better team is selling something.

It is also worth being accurate about who the Thunder are right now. They won the 2025 title. They lost the 2026 Western Conference finals to San Antonio in seven games, at home in Game 7. The Knicks are the defending champions. OKC came into Portland on a four-game winning streak and left on a two-game losing streak.

Gilgeous-Alexander, for his part, led all scorers in both games with 26 and then 31. He also went 0-for-11 from three across the two nights.

What It Means for Portland

This is a real team. Micah Nori, hired in June and in his first season as a head coach, has them playing with an actual identity. Deni Avdija put up 28 points, six assists and four steals Wednesday. Jrue Holiday gave them 19 off the bench, Sidy Cissoko added 19, and Donovan Clingan had 12 rebounds and three blocks. Ja Morant, acquired from Memphis in June, is part of this too.

They went 6-1 to start, then lost two in a row, then beat a championship-level Thunder team on back-to-back nights.

Lillard’s own explanation after the first win was not about himself. “It was the randomness, I would say, and just us playing for each other.”

Portland is at Sacramento on Friday. Nobody in the West should be looking forward to seeing them in April.

Carlos Garcia

A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.