Portland Trail Blazers: 3 takeaways from big Game 4 win vs. Thunder

The Portland Trail Blazers bounced back from their Game 3 loss to take a 3-1 lead in their first round series. Here are three takeaways from Game 4.

The Portland Trail Blazers took down the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-98 Sunday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena. It is their first playoff win on the road since April 27, 2016, breaking an eight-game losing streak. Portland now holds a 3-1 lead in this first round series.

The game started off competitive, with six ties and 10 lead changes in the first half. OKC led by as many as seven points, while Portland could only muster a five-point lead at best. Despite the tussle, the Blazers still led after both quarters.

Portland kicked things into another gear coming out of halftime. They went on a 29-15 surge through the opening 10 minutes of the half to make it a 19-point game. That would be enough of a cushion to secure the victory, despite several Thunder runs that attempted to put a dent in the deficit.

CJ McCollum led the Blazers with 27 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range. Damian Lillard followed up with 24 points and eight assists. Al-Farouq Aminu finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Maurice Harkless notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards.

Paul George had another big night, putting up 32 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Dennis Schroder came away with 17 points off the bench. Russell Westbrook had a brutal shooting night, scoring 14 points while going 5-of-21 from the field. He also added nine rebounds and seven assists to his ledger.

After being swept out of their previous two postseasons, the Blazers are now one win away from advancing to the next round. Here are a few things to take away from their Game 3 win.