Thunder-Trail Blazers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Mar 26 2012 4:26PM

The Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder have been scoring at an incredibly high rate, but coach Scott Brooks was thrilled with what he saw from his team on the defensive end in its last game.

Portland Trail Blazers interim coach Kaleb Canales would like to see his club make a push back into the playoff picture.

The Thunder go for a fourth consecutive victory Tuesday night at the Rose Garden, where the Trail Blazers try to split the four-game season series with their first set of back-to-back wins in more than two months.

Among the league leaders with 103.6 points per game, Oklahoma City (37-12) has averaged 122.0 during its winning streak while shooting 53.2 percent.

Led by 28 points from Kevin Durant and 19 apiece from Serge Ibaka and James Harden, the Thunder made 52.7 percent of their shots in Sunday's 103-87 victory over Miami.

Oklahoma City's season-best 13 steals helped it score 28 points off 21 Heat turnovers. The Thunder have 31 steals and 19 blocks since their last loss.

"When we're getting into a defensive stance and all four guys are in that stance and one guy on the ball, there are not a lot of opportunities to score in the paint, and that's how we want to play," Brooks told the Thunder's official website.

Maintaining that defensive intensity could be crucial as the Thunder are targeting the league's best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Oklahoma City could make a strong case for that spot if it fares well in upcoming games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago, Memphis, Miami and Indiana.

The Thunder, though, can't overlook the 12th-place Trail Blazers (23-26).

Portland hasn't won two in a row since Jan. 23-24, but the club continues its three-game homestand with plenty of confidence following Sunday's 90-87 victory over Golden State. The Blazers rallied from seven down at halftime to improve to 3-3 since Canales replaced the fired Nate McMillan.

"We talk about resolve and I felt like guys responded tonight," Canales said. "LaMarcus (Aldridge) made huge plays down the stretch. He had a big shot (with 39.9 seconds left), but more than that, he made the right reads and plays tonight."

Aldridge has made plenty of plays in three games versus Oklahoma City in 2011-12, averaging a team-best 28.0 points.

The first-time All-Star finished with a season-high 39 points in a 111-107 overtime loss on Feb. 6 in the Thunder's lone visit to Portland this season. However, it was a goaltending call on Aldridge - one the league later called incorrect - on Durant's layup attempt with six seconds left in regulation that got the most attention.

Aside from Durant, who's averaging 33.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists over the last three games, Portland's front line of Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and center Joel Przybilla will want to keep a close eye on Ibaka.

Ibaka is averaging 14.0 points per game with 9.0 boards and 3.0 blocks during the winning streak, while center Kendrick Perkins has 28 points and 11 rebounds in the last two contests.

Russell Westbrook, tied with Durant with a team-best 78 points versus Portland this season, scored 28 with 11 boards and eight assists on Feb. 6 to help Oklahoma City snap Portland's five-game home winning streak.

Blazers point guard Raymond Felton, who missed that game with a sprained left foot, scored 19 of his season-best 24 points in the second half Sunday.

Westbrook has 32 and Thunder beat Blazers 109-95

By ANNE M. PETERSON
Posted Mar 28 2012 1:44AM

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) When the Trail Blazers closed in on the Thunder, Russell Westbrook considered it his responsibility to set things right.

The Blazers, who trailed by as many as 21 points, closed within five in the third quarter, but Westbrook came back with consecutive jumpers and Oklahoma City went on to win 109-75 on Tuesday night.

"The home team will always make runs and my job as point guard is to take control of the game and not let things get out of whack," he said.

Westbrook finished with 32 points and eight assists to pace the Western Conference-leading Thunder to their fourth straight win. Kevin Durant scored 25 points and James Harden added 21 off the bench for the Thunder, who built a 65-47 lead by halftime.

"In the second (half) we were a little stagnant and we weren't getting any shots, so he just took it over," Kevin Durant said of Westbrook. "That's what great point guards do."

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and eight rebounds as Portland fell to 3-4 under Kaleb Canales, who took over as interim coach when the Blazers fired Nate McMillan at the NBA trade deadline.

The Blazers were coming off a 90-87 victory over Golden State on Sunday. Portland has not had back-to-back wins since Jan. 23-24 against Sacramento and Memphis.

"I don't think we made things as difficult as we could have," Aldridge said. "I feel like they were just taking warm-up shots in the first half."

The Thunder (38-12) were coming off a 103-87 victory at home over the Miami Heat on Sunday. Oklahoma City heads to Staples Center to face the Lakers on Thursday before hosting the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls on Sunday.

The Lakers defeated the Warriors 104-101 in Oakland on Tuesday night.

Rookie Nolan Smith got the start at point guard for the Blazers in place of Raymond Felton, who left the team to be with his mother while she undergoes a heart procedure.

Smith is the son of the late Derek Smith, who played nine seasons in the NBA and was a close friend with Thunder coach Scott Brooks.

Brooks said before the game that Nolan Smith was the ring bearer at his wedding.

"He was a feisty little guy," Brooks said of the younger Smith, who went on to play at Duke before he was selected by the Blazers with the 21st overall pick in last June's draft.

Smith, who finished with three points in 25 minutes, said he felt he did well on defense, not so much on offense.

"There are things I definitely could do better. But it's a learning experience," he said. "Tomorrow I'll watch film and figure out how to get better."

The Thunder beat the Blazers 111-107 in overtime at the Rose Garden on Feb. 6, a game that was controversial because of a goaltending call on Aldridge in the final six seconds of regulation. The NBA overturned the call the next day.

Oklahoma City went up 28-14 on Derek Fisher's 3-pointer near the end of the first quarter. Fisher was playing his fourth game since he was picked up as a free agent by the Thunder last week.

The Thunder extended the lead to 57-40 midway through the second quarter on Westbrook's fast-break layup.

The Blazers narrowed it to 71-63 midway through the third quarter on Aldridge's turnaround jumper, putting the crowd on its feet for the first time in the game. Wesley Matthews added a 3-pointer, pulling Portland within five points, and Nicolas Batum raised his arms to the crowd on the way back down the court.

Westbrook's layup quieted the Rose Garden fans, but Aldridge hit his own to narrow it again for the Blazers. This time Westbrook answered with two straight jumpers.

Durant's 3-pointer a short time later extended the margin back out to 82-72 and the Thunder cruised the rest of the way.

"A lead of 20 in the first half is really nothing," Durant said. "A team like this is going to find a way to come back, and the crowd was unbelievable. They put pressure on us but we did a great job of responding."

J.J. Hickson, acquired by the Blazers last week after he was waived by Sacramento, had a season-high 21 points off the bench.

"Me coming here was kind of a blessing," Hickson said. "It was an opportunity."

Notes: The Thunder's game Thursday against the Lakers marks Fisher's first game against his former team since the Lakers traded him to Houston earlier this month. The Rockets bought out his contract and he signed as a free agent with the Thunder last week. ... The Thunder always draw a number of fans wearing Seattle SuperSonics jerseys. One fan behind the Thunder bench had a sign that read "Stolen" with the Sonics' signature "S." ... Aldridge had a blocked shot to put him at 419 with the Blazers, tying him with Arvydas Sabonis for ninth on Portland's career list.

Notebook: Thunder 109, Trail Blazers 95

Posted Wednesday March 28, 2012 1:26AM

By Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden all eclipsed the 20-point mark as Oklahoma City led almost wire-to-wire in a 109-95 victory over Portland on Tuesday at the Rose Garden.

Westbrook had 32 points to go with eight assists, three rebounds and three steals as the Thunder (38-12) won their fourth straight game. Durant added 25 points and six rebounds while Harden contributed 21 points, five assists and three rebounds off the bench.

J.J. Hickson came off the bench to score a season-high 21 points on 9-for-10 shooting for the Blazers (23-27).

QUOTABLE: "A 32-point first quarter, a 33-point second quarter. We didn't bring our hard hats in the first half to defend and Durant and Westbrook played like all-pros."
-- Portland coach Kaleb Canales on the Thunder's 65-point first half

THE STAT: Oklahoma City shot .570 from the field -- .659 in the first half, with Durant going 7-for-7 before intermission.

TURNING POINT: Portland trimmed a 21-point deficit to five at 71-66 after a 17-2 run in the third quarter. Westbrook responded with six straight points, and Portland never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

HOT: Hickson, in his third game since being acquired off of waivers, made his first seven shots from the field. He also had four rebounds and three steals in his 26 minutes.

NOT: Jamal Crawford was 1-for-7 from the field. The Blazers guard is 9-for-49 over his last five games.

QUOTABLE II: "Russell really did a good job controlling the game. He was getting to the paint, he was getting to his sweet spots and making shots, and shooting over their guards. But everybody got involved."
-- Oklahoma City coach Scotty Brooks

INSIDE THE ARENA: Baltimore Ravens tight end Ed Dickson was in the house.

GOOD MOVE: After Portland's Nicolas Batum made a steal and a sweet behind-the-back dribble and move to the basket in transition, OKC's Serge Ibaka went up for a terrific block from behind -- one of six for him in the game.

BAD MOVE: The Blazers didn't get enough help defensively for point guards Nolan Smith and Jonny Flynn on Westbrook, who victimized them all night.

QUOTABLE III: "It was more us than them. We gave them easy looks. We didn't make things as difficult as we could have. It was like they were taking warmup shots the first half."
-- Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge, on the Thunder's 65-47 halftime lead.

NOTABLE: The Thunder are 8-0 this season when three players score 20 or more points.

UP NEXT: For the Blazers, Thursday vs. New Orleans, Friday @ L.A. Clippers, Sunday vs. Minnesota; For the Thunder, Thursday @ L.A. Lakers, Sunday vs. Chicago, Monday vs. Memphis

• Thunder: Cook, Maynor
• Trail Blazers: Williams, Williams

• Thunder: --
• Trail Blazers: Crawford

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #26 Pat Fraher, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 20626
• Duration: 2:07