Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from Game 3 loss vs. Thunder

3. The Thunder found their shot again

Long range shooting was a determining factor in the first two games of the series. OKC shot a historically bad 16.4 percent from 3-point range, while Portland shot incredibly well at 42.1 percent.

It played a huge role once again in Game 3. This time, however, the Thunder could not miss, going 15-of-29 (51.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Grant (five attempts) and Westbrook (six attempts) led the perimeter attack with four made 3s each. Terrance Ferguson went 3-of-4 from outside. Dennis Schroder and George made two each.

The funny thing is that while the Thunder found themselves very comfortable with the home rims, Portland also did well on the evening. The Blazers shot a respectable 12-of-31 (38.7 percent) from distance. It wasn’t at the level of the first two games, but still above league average. McCollum knocked down five treys, while Al-Farouq Aminu and Lillard hit three each.

An evening out of the averages is to be expected over the course of a series. The key for Portland is to maintain its consistency and keep daring the non-shooters to shoot. While the Thunder were eventually going to make more than one-16th of their 3s, they still shoot at a below-average rate. Sticking to the game plan should win out over time.