We Speak NBA

Damian Lillard Scores 13 in a Third Quarter Takeover as the Trail Blazers Stun the Thunder 123-103

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2026

Damian Lillard. Photo by Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Damian Lillard took over a game in one quarter on Tuesday night in Oklahoma City. Lillard scored 13 of his season high 25 points in the third quarter, shot 8 of 12 in just 23 minutes, and the Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Thunder 123-103 for their third straight win.

Lillard is 35 and Portland is playing him on a minutes plan of about 25 a night. When he sat midway through the third quarter, Thunder fans were still giving him a hard time. When Portland coach Tiago Splitter put him back in with under three minutes left in the quarter, the tone changed. The Blazers led 79-73 when he checked back in. He scored 13 points and ripped off a 15-0 run almost by himself, and by the time the quarter ended Portland led by 21.

“I was hyped,” Lillard said. “I got subbed back in and the fans started taunting me, so I was inspired. I started making shots. I kept making shots. The crowd kept falling back a little bit, and it was like, ‘Oh, it’s Dame Time’ — they don’t want to mess with that.”

The night doubled as a homecoming. Lillard has said Oklahoma City was the team that called him with an offer before he re-signed with Portland this summer. He told his agent, “Let me finish out this call and think about it.” He added, “And then I told him, ‘I ain’t going to OKC. We’ll stay home.'”

Portland built the win on depth as well. Deni Avdija had 27 points and Shaedon Sharpe scored 21, and the Blazers shot 54 percent as a team while Oklahoma City lost at home for the first time this season. Portland moved to 5-4, two games over what many expected at this point, and the Thunder dropped to 5-6.

The Blazers play at Memphis on Wednesday. If Lillard keeps producing like this in 23 minutes a night, the plan is working exactly as drawn up, and Dame Time still travels.

Powell Scores 23 as Bulls Snap Timberwolves’ Five-Game Win Streak 117-106

Norman Powell scored 23 points and Matas Buzelis added 18 as the Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-106 on Saturday night to end Minnesota’s five-game winning streak.

Published

7 hours ago

November 15, 2026

We Speak Media

Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves guard LaMelo Ball during the first half at Target Center in Minneapolis, Nov. 14, 2026

Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves guard LaMelo Ball during the first half on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo by Matt Krohn, AP Photo.

Norman Powell scored 23 points as the Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-106 on Saturday night, ending Minnesota’s five-game winning streak.

Matas Buzelis added 18 points and nine rebounds for Chicago, and Buddy Hield and Tre Jones each chipped in 16 points off the bench. The Bulls won for the second straight night despite a travel day scrambled by the nationwide FAA ground stop, which delayed their arrival in Minneapolis until the day of the game, and despite missing Caleb Wilson, Jalen Smith and Nic Claxton.

Chicago led 29-17 after the first quarter and 58-45 at halftime. Minnesota’s 17 points in the first quarter were its lowest-scoring quarter of the season, and the Timberwolves failed to reach 110 points for the first time this season.

Ayo Dosunmu scored a team-high 24 points against his former team for Minnesota, LaMelo Ball had 19 and Jaden McDaniels added 18. The Timberwolves missed their first 13 3-point attempts and finished 9 of 38 from long range, while Chicago scored 54 points in the paint.

Cade Cunningham Scores Career-High 52 With Zero Turnovers as Pistons Outlast Wizards 144-140 in Double Overtime

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