Josh Giddey Overshadows Shai Gilgeous Alexander With Historic Night as OKC Destroy Blazers by 62

The Oklahoma City Thunder delivered a jaw-dropping performance against the Portland Trail Blazers, securing a resounding 139-77 victory. This was by far the biggest win in the NBA this season. With a 62-point lead entering the final quarter, the Thunder flirted with history, but a spirited Trail Blazers’ fourth-quarter run averted the chance of witnessing the largest loss in NBA history.

Giddey’s 22-minute triple-double dominance

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander provided a brilliant 31-point performance on 11-of-15 shooting, Josh Giddey played flawlessly. In the first 16 minutes during the first half, he landed five out of five shots and hit three of four free throws to score 13 points, which was far more compared to his season average. He didn’t miss a single shot tonight.

The highlight moment was when Giddey successfully grabbed his 10th rebound, accomplishing a triple-double in just 22 minutes. This accomplishment saw him achieve his ninth triple-double in his career, putting him among the fastest players in NBA history to attain such a record. Like Victor Wembanyama and Russell Westbrook, Giddey’s performance adds another page to his promising career. Giddey’s final stat line was 13 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, and three blocks.

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Giddey’s all-around talent was demonstrated as he managed several strong drives to the basket, surely leaving Thunder coach Mike Daigneault feeling impressed.

Record-breaking rout

The Oklahoma City Thunder put themselves in the annals of NBA history on Thursday night, recording a 62-point blowout victory representing one of the five largest upsets ever documented. This victory broke the Thunder’s previous margin of winning a game which was 45 points, which they did twice during the 2012-13 season. The monumental win also served as redemption for the Thunder, who, just a year ago, found themselves on the receiving end of the NBA’s most substantial blowout, losing by 73 points to Memphis on December 2, 2021.

Adding salt to the Trail Blazers’ wounds, this defeat against the Thunder makes Portland the first franchise to endure multiple losses by a margin exceeding 60 points. The team is at present languishing in the 2nd-to-last spot on the Western Conference table having a 10-27 record and as such has an uphill task of regaining any form at all.

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With Portland now gearing up for their next game against the Timberwolves, the Blazers seek a comeback, hoping to erase the memory of their second-worst loss in franchise history, the first being a 65-point defeat to Indiana on February 27, 1998.