The missed shots piled up for Portland in lock step with the missed opportunities for the Thunder. The difference didn’t show itself on the scoreboard until the second half, but when it did, it cascaded down into a Blazers surge from which the Thunder never quite recovered.
An aggressive Thunder defense held Damian Lillard to an 0-for-6 shooting start to Sunday night’s Game 4 and used that fortunate dynamic to build a 7-point lead. Late in the second quarter however, with Paul George saddled to the bench with 3 first half fouls in 14 minutes, Lillard scored 5 quick points and then found Al-Farouq Aminu for a corner three-pointer to cap an 11-0 run to close out the half.