Oklahoma City has lost in the first round twice in a row since Kevin Durant’s 2016 departure, undone both times by poor shooting, uneven offensive flow and limited scoring balance. Those old habits popped up again in Portland, as did an old friend: Blazers center Enes Kanter rampaged against his former team for 20 points and 18 rebounds. Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard made an early splash, and center Enes Kanter kept it up to give Portland a Game 1 win. After all, Oklahoma City won 49 games despite ranking 22nd in three-point percentage and 17th in overall offense. If the Thunder can’t make the Blazers pay for playing Kanter, Oklahoma City deserves to go home early again.

Source: Washington Post April 15, 2019 01:18 UTC