Isaiah Hartenstein scores 100 for the Trail Blazers who handed OKC their first loss

Isaiah Hartenstein and Oklahoma City The Thunder cemented their best start in franchise history at 8-0. After the defeat of 121-119 by Portland Trail BlazersHartenstein reflected on what led to his team coughing up a 22-point lead. For the second night in a row on the road, the lowly Thunder nearly erased an eight-point deficit with less than three minutes left in the game. But it worked out in the end.

After the loss, Hartenstein talked about the Blazers growth as a team and the Thunder’s shortcomings in Wednesday’s two-point loss.

“They’ve been playing great all year. I think, especially young teams, at the beginning of the year, they always come out with such energy,” Hartenstein said. “I think they did a good job of getting the right people in. Jrue was really big for them. Guys developed a lot. It was a good win for them. Those are the types of games that help you build confidence, even though we have eight, seven guys that are out there, and we’re coming back to back. But I think it’s just good learning for them, it’s a block.”

For Hartenstein, the Thunder didn’t play at a high level to outscore the Blazers in the fourth quarter.

“I think a lot of it was that we didn’t execute as well as we should have,” Hartenstein added. “I think there were some games we could have controlled. Some missed layups here and there, but I don’t think it was that crazy of a game to be honest.”

Isaiah Hartenstein recorded a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) with three assists and two steals against the Blazers. Shai Gilgeez-Alexander had 35 points to lead three Thunder players who finished with 20+ points, including Ajay Mitchell (21 points), who started next to SGA, and Aaron Wiggins (27 points), who connected on seven 3-pointers.

The Thunder were without Chet Holmgren, Lou Dort and Alex Caruso for Wednesday’s game. The three players join All-Star forward Jalen Williams and Kenrich Williams, who have yet to make their regular-season debuts, on Oklahoma City’s injury report.

The Blazers hand the Thunder their first loss amid a bizarre finish

In a critical moment toward the end of the Thunder’s 121-119 loss to the Trail Blazers, Isaiah Joe had a chance to tie the game at the free throw line. Trailing the Blazers by three, Joe drew a foul from three against Toumani Kamara before officials reviewed the play to determine Isaiah’s foot was on the three-point arc when he was fouled.

After making his first free throw, Joe intentionally missed his second in hopes of getting the game back and sending the game into overtime, but the Thunder came up short as the game clock expired.