Four of Alex Caruso’s six shots from the field went in Wednesday. All four came from beyond the arc. The College Station native and former Texas A&M guard also supplied three steals, seven rebounds and two assists, finishing with 14 points for an Oklahoma City team that still lost 118-108 in Portland.
Caruso was productive from the opening minutes. He made a 24-foot 3-pointer with 10:42 left in the first quarter, then added another from 24 feet at 7:45. He also recorded steals on passes by Deni Avdija and Sidy Cissoko. He later intercepted a Damian Lillard pass near the end of the second quarter and hit a 26-foot 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining in the half.
His fourth made 3-pointer came from 28 feet with 7:24 left in the third quarter. By then, Caruso had supplied points, rebounds and disruption without needing a large share of Oklahoma City’s offense. He went 4-for-6 from the field, 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 at the foul line.
That is why this loss belongs more to Oklahoma City’s closing defense than to Caruso’s occasional mistakes. He did turn the ball over three times, including a lost ball that Lillard stole with 3:37 remaining. He also missed a pull-up jumper late. Those plays count, but they do not explain Portland’s ability to repeatedly answer Oklahoma City once the game reached its decisive stretch.
The Thunder appeared to have rescued the fourth quarter after Nique Clifford’s 24-foot step-back 3-pointer tied the score at 88 with 11:11 remaining. Kenrich Williams then put Oklahoma City ahead with a layup at 10:42, and his two free throws extended the advantage to 92-88. That was a chance to make Portland chase the game.
Instead, the Trail Blazers made Oklahoma City chase them. Portland scored 30 in the fourth. Lillard and Avdija supplied 20 between them. A 29-foot 3-pointer at 6:17 cut the Thunder’s lead to 96-95. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander answered with two free throws, and Robert Williams III followed with a putback, but Avdija’s pair of free throws gave Portland a 99-98 lead with 5:24 left.
The margin remained within reach, which made each defensive stop more important. Oklahoma City did not get enough of them. Avdija’s 24-foot step-back 3-pointer made it 106-100 with 2:53 remaining. Lillard followed with a 10-foot floater at 2:02, and his two free throws at the one-minute mark restored a seven-point Portland lead after Jared McCain had pulled the Thunder within 110-105 on a 27-foot 3-pointer.
Caruso was still contributing in the middle of that slide. He assisted Gilgeous-Alexander’s 4-foot basket at 7:05, grabbed an offensive rebound at 6:34 and collected a defensive rebound at 4:43. His work helped Oklahoma City stay close; it simply could not compensate for Portland’s best players converting their chances at the other end.
The broader numbers support that reading. Oklahoma City shot 42% from the field and made 11 of 36 3-pointers. Portland shot 46% and made 19 of 49 from deep, while also going 25-for-26 at the foul line.
