Portland pulls off insane 22-point comeback to taint OKC’s perfect record

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Almost everyone’s question of when the Oklahoma City Thunder would fold was finally answered by the Portland Trail Blazers.

On Nov. 6, 2025, Portland bagged a comeback for the ages after rallying from a 22-point deficit to hand Oklahoma its first-ever defeat, 121-119, in the ongoing NBA regular season.

An exact attendance of 16,822 spectators witnessed the incredible win, highlighted by a resilient effort from Portland, which needed six players to score in double figures against the hottest team in the NBA.

The Thunder immediately blew the game wide open with a 38-16 advantage in the opening quarter, courtesy of a breakaway layup from Isaiah Joe that forced interim head coach Tiago Splitter to burn another emergency timeout.

Fresh off back-to-back lopsided wins over the Clippers and the Pelicans, Oklahoma looked formidable on the road once again and was close to capping off the trip with another day in the office.

However, an electrifying counter-run from the Trail Blazers boosted their chances of a come-from-behind effort, as they outscored Oklahoma heading into the second half, 36-24.

What Portland devised was simple.

Let Shai Gilgeous-Alexander do his thing, but limit his supporting cast of Aaron Wiggins, Ajay Mitchell, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Joe.

In the first five minutes of the first canto, it was Wiggins who torched Portland with four quick three-pointers, backstopped by Mitchell, who was relentless in penetrating against their interior defense.

Midway through the second quarter, Portland’s defensive adjustment paid off as the production of the quartet dipped, leaving SGA as the only opposing threat to the balanced roster of the Trail Blazers.

Without the presence of Alex Caruso, Chet Holmgren, Luguentz Dort, and Jalen Williams, the Thunder were down to a nine-man rotation, which hurt them as the game progressed.

The Trail Blazers officially stole the momentum of the game with six minutes remaining in the fourth, off a Jrue Holiday three-pointer that put Portland ahead by four points, 100-96.

During the grind-it-out second half, Holiday switched on the turbo button and did his offensive share, while Deni Avdija and Jerami Grant provided the steady scoring punch that answered every SGA perimeter bucket.

Oklahoma tried to protect its undefeated record after holding on to a three-point deficit, 117-114, but a cold-blooded dunk from Toumani Camara ballooned Portland’s cushion to five, 119-114, with only 36.5 seconds left.

A brief period of late-game drama transpired in the final 1.3 ticks when OKC’s Joe got fouled hoisting a shot, but the sideline referee waved off the initial three-point call and ruled it a two-point attempt when his right foot stepped on the line.

As a result, Joe had to intentionally miss the second shot, which the Thunder failed to capitalize on as the scramble for the loose ball was won by Portland.

Leading the way for Portland’s breakthrough win was Avdija, who nearly tallied a triple-double performance of 26 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.

Holiday also came up big, chipping in 22 markers and six boards, while the duo of Grant and Camara added 20 and 16 points, respectively.

On the other hand, SGA had another offensive showcase with 35 points built from 12-of-13 shooting from the free-throw line, alongside nine rebounds and four assists.

The Trail Blazers seek to maintain their momentum on Nov. 9 against the Miami Heat, while Oklahoma aims to avoid back-to-back losses today in the NBA Cup Group Play against the Sacramento Kings.