Grading the OKC Thunder bench:
Isaiah Joe looked to go for a repeat performance of his 7-of-7 night against Golden State a few days ago. He began 5-of-5 from deep before missing his final attempt of the night.
Most of Joe’s damage came near the end of the first half. He nailed three 3-pointers in the final three minutes of the second quarter, including one as a result of his lone steal.
The only Jaylin Williams on the floor for the Thunder played well. Williams had plenty of opportunities to get more minutes.
He led the Thunder in rebounding with seven as the Thunder won the rebounding battle handily. Two of Williams’ three baskets came on putbacks.
Aaron Wiggins finished as one of three Thunder players to score at least 10 points off the bench in Portland. Wiggins finished with a season-high 13, including two 3-pointers.
The Thunder’s wing also grabbed a season-high five rebounds. Wiggins matched his career-high in steals with three.
Unfortunately, he failed to finish a highlight by missing a potential alley-oop jam from Joe late in the third quarter.
Lindy Waters III joined the likes of Wiggins and Joe with a double-digit performance off the bench. Waters scored 12 points, all on 3-pointers. His four makes from beyond the arc set a new season-high.
The third-year guard got a chance to fight for a spot in the rotation on Sunday. Mann went for seven points and five rebounds against the Blazers.
With 23 minutes on the floor, he played the most of any Thunder player and more than he had the entire season combined.
Aleksej Pokusevski has not played much this season, but with an opportunity in the fourth quarter, he took advantage. Pokusevski filled the stat sheet in his nearly nine minutes in Portland.
Pokusevski put up five points and three rebounds, including two on the offensive glass. He also nearly finished as the Thunder’s leader in assists with four.
Kenrich Williams need not play in the second half for the Thunder to take care of business. In his seven first-half minutes, Williams dished out three assists and knocked down one of the Thunder’s 22 makes from beyond the arc to beat the shot clock in the second quarter.
Olivier Sarr got some run for Oklahoma City for the first time since Nov. 1. He showed out in the fourth quarter.
Sarr drilled two 3-pointers and grabbed a couple of rebounds in garbage times.
Davis Bertans was brought to Oklahoma City to shoot, and he took a few shots against the Blazers. Bertans nailed only one of his five shots, but his movement along the perimeter helped space the floor for the Thunder.
Vasilije Micic was the only one not to score for the Thunder in Portland. The rookie missed his only shot of the night and turned it over a couple of times.