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Blazers Hold On
Final: Portland 92, Sonics 88
The Sonics competed for 48 minutes tonight, but were unable to get the stop that could have meant the difference between victory and defeat tonight at the Rose Garden. With just nine players available most of the game, several Sonics logged long minutes - 36 for Nick Collison and 37 apiece for rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They responded; Green was a rebound short of a double-double and Collison finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Durant scored 20 points and grabbed six boards and Earl Watson was an assist and two rebounds away from a triple-double.
More important was Sonics defense that limited Portland to just 38.2% shooting. The Sonics might have gotten a break with the health of Brandon Roy; as I mentioned a moment ago, Roy did not score in the fourth quarter, though he did pull down the final rebound of the game to give him a career-high 14 boards to go with his 19 points. LaMarcus Aldridge also had a double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds), added five blocks and came up with the big free throw in the final minute.
These two teams will both hop on their charters shortly after tonight's game and make the short flight up to Seattle to rematch tomorrow at KeyArena. Be sure you're at that game, the first visit of the season for the Blazers, by 
getting your tickets now!
Two-Possession Game
Fourth Quarter: Portland 90, Sonics 86
After a timeout, the Blazers went to Nate McMillan's beloved high screen, setting a pair of them for Jarrett Jack at the top of the key. On the second one, Jeff Green initially followed screen LaMarcus Aldridge to the basket but then went back to Jack. Nick Collison slid down to pick up Aldridge, but too late and he fouled as he contested the shot. Aldridge missed the second free throw, but it's still a two-possession game with 11.0 seconds left. And the Sonics are out of timeouts after using their final full TO to draw up a play here.
Need a Stop
Fourth Quarter: Portland 89, Sonics 86
Coming out of a 20-second timeout, Earl Watson went to the basket strong but could not get his layup attempt to foul. However, Nick Collison took advantage of the defense following Watson to slide into the lane for the tip, pulling the Sonics within three. With 30.4 seconds left, they can play defense and try to get a stop. That would allow them to tie with a three-pointer. Will the Blazers go to Brandon Roy? He's sick, has been nursing a bad ankle and has looked tired in this fourth quarter - he has not scored in the period and missed two free throws just under the two-minute mark. Travis Outlaw has also proven clutch for the Blazers this season and could get the call.
Down Five
Fourth Quarter: Portland 89, Sonics 84
Boy, the Sonics got about as good a look as you could ask for on their possession. Damien Wilkins was wide open (and I mean
wide open) for a three that would have tied the game, but it bounded around the rim and out. Travis Outlaw was fouled on the other end going to the basket and made both shots, pushing Portland's lead to five with 39.8 seconds left.
Within Three
Fourth Quarter: Portland 87, Sonics 84
The Sonics have held the Blazers scoreless over the last three minutes and have scored a couple of buckets themselves, most recently an explosive Jeff Green tip dunk to pull within three with 1:14 left to play. After getting a stop, they'll take over down three after a 20-second timeout by P.J. Carlesimo.
Sonics Need a Run
Fourth Quarter: Portland 87, Sonics 80
With 4:19 left to play, the Sonics trail by eight, 87-80, and time is running out. They've had a couple of costly turnovers in the last couple of minutes on Kevin Durant forays to the basket. It's all part of the learning process for Durant who was able to get a makeable shot on the first drive but was called for charging into good friend LaMarcus Aldridge. The Sonics have given Durant and Jeff Green plenty of touches down the stretch, and don't expect that to change down the stretch this season.
Incidentally, Earl Watson, who had a triple-double earlier this month, is on the verge of flirting with another one. He's got eight assists and seven rebounds to go with his 15 points.
Blazers Surge Ahead
Fourth Quarter: Portland 85, Sonics 79
The Sonics have executed well and played hard on defense during this second half, limiting the Blazers to 34 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Portland has gotten going with 10-2 run that pushed their lead as large as seven points. It's now six with 5:42 to play in the game. The key has been a lot of superior individual play, starting with Jarrett Jack. Jack has an "and one" along with another score in this surge; eight of his 13 points have been scored in the fourth quarter.
For the Sonics, Kevin Durant has been able to find his way to the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and also had a gorgeous left-hand finish on the drive. Durant leads the Sonics with 18 points. Nick Collison has posted his 12th double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Threes Big Down the Stretch
Fourth Quarter: Portland 76, Sonics 74
Watch the three-pointers over the final eight minutes of this game. They could have a huge impact. The Blazers had missed all six they had attempted in the second half before Jarrett Jack hit a triple just a moment ago to put Portland back ahead on the scoreboard. The Sonics had taken the lead on two Jeff Green free throws; a Green hook also tied the game as the Sonics worked all the way back from a deficit as large as 14.
The short-handed Sonics roster has made for some rare combinations. Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour started out the fourth quarter together in the backcourt. The four minutes they played together nearly doubled their season total (previously about six minutes). Ridnour and Watson played together a lot the last two seasons, but with a 10-man rotation, that small backcourt hasn't gotten much use this year.
Sam and Garrick, Seattle's Luckiest Fans, have made their way down to the Rose Garden in full regalia (Shawn Kemp jerseys, natch) and drew a hearty round of boos when they were shown on the big screen a moment ago. They relished it - those boos will be cheers tomorrow night when the venue changes to KeyArena.
After Three, a Three-Point Game
End Third Quarter: Portland 70, Sonics 67
The Sonics turned up the defense over the final eight minutes or so of the third quarter, holding Portland to just nine points while scoring 20 of their own to cut the deficit to a very manageable three points going to the final period. The Blazers are shooting just 39.0% from the field tonight. (The Sonics are at 39.3%.) The defense has been doubly important for the Sonics because it has fueled their offense. 17 of the 67 Sonics points - more than a quarter - have been fast-break points.
With the Sonics short-handed tonight, an important question is when their newly-acquired players will be available. P.J. Carlesimo said before tonight's game that Francisco Elson is in Seattle and has completed most of his physical. It's possible that, if Kurt Thomas is also cleared, Elson could be in the lineup tomorrow. With the three players the Sonics traded for today, a realistic timeline has them becoming available Saturday - in which case there might be a brief session to introduce them to the Sonics playbook, though the Sonics will not practice - or more likely Sunday, which would be in time for the Sonics hosting the L.A. Lakers.
Nate Takes Timeout
Third Quarter: Portland 61, Sonics 51
Portland Head Coach Nate McMillan doesn't want to see the Sonics cut into his team's lead. After consecutive buckets by the visitors, McMillan quickly took timeout to try to correct his team. The Sonics pulled back within 10 with 6:05 left in the quarter. This is the last mandatory timeout of the period, so we could go the last six minutes straight. That might favor the Blazers, considering the Sonics have depth issues - if you assume Chris Wilcox isn't going to play again this quarter because of his foul trouble, the Sonics have just eight players available in the period.
Funny thing about this matchup - both head coaches started out their NBA coaching career with the other side. P.J. Carlesimo remains well-liked in the Portland area, catching up with reporters before tonight's game. He paused during his pregame interview to say hello to Harry Glickman, the original president of the Blazers. Later he was interrupted by TNT color analyst Doug Collins, working tonight's game. With a broad grin, Collins urged us reporters not to believe anything Carlesimo said.
Portland Pulling Away
Third Quarter: Portland 61, Sonics 47
All the momentum is going toward the Blazers four minutes into the second half. The Sonics can't keep Chris Wilcox on the floor; he picked up his fourth foul a little over 30 seconds into the second half. The Sonics are shooting just 34.0% from the field and Portland has been responsible with nine blocked shots, including five by LaMarcus Aldridge. On the other end, Brandon Roy has things under control as he usually does; he's got 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Blazers fans are hot as well. At the last timeout, the Blazers had a contest where a shooter had to make a free throw blindfolded. All it took was one shot.
One of the strange things about watching the Sonics on the road (this is my third time this year, but the first since the season opener in Denver on Halloween) is adjusting to having the Sonics stats on the right and the home team's stats on the left. I still can't get used to it, so my apologies if I mess up the numbers.
Difficult Second Quarter for Sonics
Halftime: Portland 51, Sonics 41
The Sonics had a rough go of it during the second quarter of play, where they put just 16 points on the board and were outscored 28-16. It could have been worse were it not for Luke Ridnour hitting three big three-pointers. The Sonics made just five field goals in the quarter, shooting 23.8% from the field (5-of-21).
During the second half, a good start for the Sonics would be getting more production from Chris Wilcox. Their starting power forward got in early foul trouble and did not score in the first half, missing all five of his shot attempts. Nick Collison did a solid job off the bench, putting up seven points and seven boards, but the Sonics could use Wilcox's ability to score in the post.
Blazers Open it Up
Second Quarter: Portland 44, Sonics 37
It's a 7-1 run for the Blazers to take their largest lead of the game at seven points, prompting P.J. Carlesimo to take timeout. Portland has outscored the Sonics 21-12 in the second quarter, and the play of forward Travis Outlaw has been a big reason why. The last time I was at the Rose Garden was last April, near the end of the 2006-07 season, and Outlaw was a revelation. He's parlayed a strong finish to last year into an outstanding, consistent campaign this year. Tonight he has 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, scoring in a variety of fashions - off the dribble, from three, in the paint.
Ridnour Catches Fire
Second Quarter: Portland 37, Sonics 36
Luke Ridnour is trying to match the Blazers three for three. He's hit three triples in as many attempts during this second quarter of play, accounting for all nine of his points. That's already a season high for Ridnour; his career high is four three-pointers. Ridnour has plenty of fans here dating back to his Oregon days.
The Sonics have gone small during this second quarter, with Jeff Green manning the power forward position for the first time in a while. There are two reasons for that. It gives the Sonics a better matchup for the Blazers, who use athletic Travis Outlaw at power forward off the bench. Also, it helps the Sonics out up front, where they are thing right now. Robert Swift will not return after spraining his right knee during the first quarter. He'll be re-examined tomorrow.
Threes Key for Blazers
Second Quarter: Portland 30, Sonics 28
For my money, an underrated key to Portland's success this season has been the team's shooting from beyond the arc. The Blazers shoot 37.8% from downtown, which is good for sixth in the league; the team was even higher when sharpshooting forward James Jones was in the lineup. In a slow-paced game like Portland Head Coach Nate McMillan favors, those threes are daggers, as we saw with the Sonics in 2004-05. Tonight, Portland is 4-of-7 from three-point range. Also, Martell Webster had three free throws on what may as well have been a triple as he was fouled in the act of shooting from beyond the arc. Those threes largely explain why the Blazers have reclaimed a two-point lead.
Sonics Lead After One
End First Quarter: Sonics 25, Portland 23
Really strong first quarter for the Sonics, who held Portland to 33.3% shooting and will take a two-point lead to the second period. Brandon Roy was the lone Blazers player who really had it going on offense, scoring 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting. After a fast start, LaMarcus Aldridge ended the quarter 2-of-8, though he did have five boards. Four Sonics have scored at least four points, led by eight from Kevin Durant.
Some sharp shooting during the break from the contestant on the court. He had to shoot from first the middle of the lane, then the free-throw line, then the college three, the NBA three and finally halfcourt. Clearly this guy could shoot, and he got to the halfcourt shot with time for just one attempt - and swished it, drawing a roar from the crowd.
Sonics Clamp Down
First Quarter: Sonics 16, Portland 14
The second half of Wednesday's win over Memphis saw the Sonics play some of their best defense of the season. That has carried over to the first quarter tonight. The Blazers are shooting just 38.9% from the field and have been limited to 14 points. Even despite a slow start in terms of their own shooting (5-of-16, 31.3%), the Sonics have been able to take the lead late in this first quarter.
Worth watching tonight: the mentality of the Blazers if they fall behind early. Frustration has grown to some extent during Portland's current five-game losing streak and we might see that escalate if the Sonics take control of this game.
Greg Oden will be keeping it loose, however. The video screen just showed Oden seated behind the Portland bench with his hair shaved into a mohawk, drawing huge cheers and some laughs from the crowd. Is Mr. T an Oden fan? Or vice versa? Backup point guard Sergio Rodriguez is also sporting a fohawk, but he hasn't taken it as far as Oden.
Aggressive Petro
First Quarter: Sonics 11, Portland 11
Sonics center Johan Petro is making his first start tonight since Nov. 29, 2006, when the Sonics hosted the Orlando Magic at KeyArena. (Hat tip to Gary Washburn of the
Seattle P-I for noting how long it had been since Petro started.) In that game, Petro had 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds. So far tonight, we've seen him play with a lot of confidence and aggressiveness. His early totals: four points and two rebounds. This is an important stretch for Petro as he gets a chance to start following yesterday's Kurt Thomas trade.
Chris Wilcox got in early foul trouble, but Nick Collison has stepped in to replace him and the Sonics have rallied to tie it after starting the game down 6-0.
Signing On
Pregame
PORTLAND - Welcome to the Rose Garden. I've made the trip down I-5 to be in the house tonight as the Sonics battle the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time this season. That meant spending the afternoon in the media workroom in the bowels of the Rose Garden, waiting for news on the trade deadline to break. Obviously, the two trades the Sonics have made the last two days have overshadowed tonight's game. You can
read my coverage here. Now, however, it's time to focus on the action on the floor. The Sonics will have 10 players in uniform tonight and we wouldn't be surprised to see all of them get time on the floor. It's the first of a back-to-back home-and-home set between these two teams and it should be a blast, so stay with us all night long for the latest.
