Thunder lose to Trail Blazers as NBA’s last undefeated team falls

PORTLAND, Ore. – The last of the unbeatens in the NBA has fallen.

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder lost 121-119 on Wednesday to the upstart Portland Trail Blazers, after holding leads as large as 22 in the first half. The Thunder (8-1) had beaten Portland 16 consecutive times, but lost Wednesday after Isaiah Joe missed a three to tie in the final seconds.

Oklahoma City grabbed the rebound off the Joe miss, and Joe was fouled making a 2-point attempt with 0.5 second left. Joe made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second, but Blazers center Robert Williams grabbed the rebound as time expired.

Oklahoma City was playing the second game of a back-to-back after beating the LA Clippers in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and seemed to tire late, especially in the fourth quarter, when it allowed 40 points to the Blazers (5-3). The win by Portland adds to an impressive early-season resume that includes victories over the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets and now Oklahoma City.

Deni Avdija led Portland with 26 points despite missing his first 11 field goal attempts, Jrue Holiday scored 22, and Jerami Grant came off the bench to add 20.

Oklahoma City, which played without injured starters Luguentz Dort and Chet Holmgren, was led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (35 points) and Aaron Wiggins (27 points).