Steven Adams' hopes of a first NBA title hang in the balance after another disappointing playoff loss in Portland.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have crashed 114-94 in game two against the Trail Blazers and now must win four from five to progress to the second round.
OKC's three-point shooting was miserable for the second straight game, landing just five from 28 attempts as Portland's tactics of cramming the middle to prevent Paul George and Russell Westbrook from dominating paid off again.
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Westbrook struggled to get any offensive rhythm, producing six turnovers and shooting just five from 20, while his counterpart Damian Lillard lit up the court with 29 points, shooting four from eight from beyond the arc.
In total, Portland's backcourt outscored the Thunder's by a whopping 62-21 with shooting guard CJ McCollum terrorizing defenders, finishing with 33 points.
Adams was the one bright spark for OKC, pulling in nine rebounds to go with 16 points, missing just once from the field.
Remarkably, the Thunder held a nine-point lead midway through the second quarter but fell apart over the course of the next 32 minutes, outscored by 29 points.
The Thunder must bounce back at home on Friday or the potential of an early exit for the second year straight looms large against a confident Portland side.
In other playoff action, Toronto clawed back to a game apiece against the Magic with a 111-82 home win in the Eastern Conference.
The Denver Nuggets also pulled level in their series with the San Antonio Spurs, scoring a 114-105 game two win.
Newshub.
