Portland (USA), – CJ McCollum shooting guard and Damian Lillard baseman was once again the key that allowed the Portland Trail Blazers to easily prevail 114-94 over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second match of the first round series of the Western Conference playoffs that dominate 2-0 to best of seven.
The series moves to the headquarters of Oklahoma City, where on Friday the third game will be played and on Sunday it will be fourth on the same stage.
McCollum was the leader of the attack to get 33 points, including three triples, captured eight rebounds – seven defensive – and delivered five assists.
Minors that Lillard finished second maximum encestador of the Trail Blazers with 29 so many in his credit, six assists, four rebounds, three recoveries of ball, two losses and put two plugs.
The Puerto Rican forward Maurice Harkless was left at the gates of a double-double after contributing 14 points and nine rebounds that left him as the third highest goalkeeper of the Trail Blazers, who for the first time have a 2-0 mark at the start of a series of playoffs since 2014 when they outscored the Houston Rockets in six games (4-2).
“We did our job and now we have to travel to the rival field, where we must have the same winning mentality,” said McCollum. “We are the ones in control of the series.”
This time star base Russell Westbrook could not get a triple-double, which would have been the tenth in the playoff, and although he was at the gates with 14 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, he did not avoid defeat.
In addition, with 3:30 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Thunder coach, Bill Donovan, gave up the game because the Trail Blazers had a favorable partial of 112-91 and he sat him like the rest of the holders, in the face of giving him rest for the next two games in his field that will be decisive.
The forward Paul George reached the 27 points, with eight rebounds and three assists, without the discomfort that suffers in the right shoulder prevented him from being the maximum encestador of the Thunder.
While the New Zealander pivot Steven Adams also stood out with 16 points and nine rebounds, which also prevented the defeat of the Thunder.
The victory of the Trail Blazers in the first game (104-99) allowed them to break 10 consecutive games lost in the playoff competition, including two sweeps in the first round against the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans .
In addition, the Thunder came to the duel with the Trail Blazers with perfect mark of 4-0 they had in the series of regular competition.
They also qualified to the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons, but they have not passed the first round in the two previous seasons (EFE).
