Isaiah Hartenstein shines with a double-double in his Thunder debut

Hartenstein, a recent addition to the team after being signed as a free agent from the New York Knicks, has been sidelined with a fractured bone in his left hand. Despite this setback, he made an impressive impact in his last game with 13 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks in just 29 minutes of play. His presence on the court provided much-needed rim protection and added size to a team that has been plagued by injuries in the frontcourt.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28 points for the Thunder. He made just 7 of 19 field goals, but he made all 14 of his free throws to help Oklahoma City snap a two-game losing streak.

Alex Caruso scored 17 points to help Oklahoma City’s bench outscore Portland’s 44-31.

Shaedon Sharpe led Portland with 21 points and Toumani Camara and Jerami Grant each added 14 for the Trail Blazers.

The game was close for three quarters before the Thunder used a 39-30 fourth-quarter surge to pull away.

Takeaways

Thunder: Hartenstein proved his value immediately. The Thunder had been getting dominated on the boards in recent games, so losing the rebounding battle 49-46 resembled a victory.

Trail Blazers: Oklahoma City scored 28 points off Portland’s 24 turnovers.

Key moment

Oklahoma City trailed 20-13 with 5:10 left in the first quarter when Hartenstein entered the game after missing the first 15 contests. His presence was especially important because the Thunder will be without Chet Holmgren, one of the league’s top rim protectors, for at least another six weeks with a pelvic fracture.

Key stat

Oklahoma City outscored the Blazers 56-32 in points in the paint.

Up next

The Trail Blazers visit Houston on Friday and the Thunder visit Sacramento on Monday.