|
 Then the All-Star guard cooled, and Portland outscored the
visitors 31-12 in the fourth quarter en route to a 106-89 victory
Wednesday night at the Moda Center in the season opener for both
clubs.
Westbrook finished with a game-high 38 points, but he had 36 in the
first three quarters in helping Oklahoma City to a 77-75 lead. With
6-foot-8 forward Nicolas Batum defending him, the 6-3 Westbrook
managed only two points on 1-for-6 shooting the rest of the way.
The Thunder shot 5-for-19 from the field over the final 12 minutes.
"Defensively, we couldn't have been much better," Portland coach
Terry Stotts said. "Nic did a good job on Westbrook, and we got out
into transition and made some threes. But it was all keyed with our
defense."
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points and guard Wesley Matthews
added 22 for Portland. All five Blazers starters scored in double
figures, including All-Star guard Damian Lillard, who had all 10 of
his points in the second half.
 "I'm excited and proud of the way we continued to fight through it,"
said Matthews, who shot 8-for-12 from the field, including 5-for-9
from 3-point range. "Credit (the Thunder). They played hard. Russ
had a hell of a game. They were making shots, they were making
plays. For three quarters, they outworked us. We can't allow that to
happen for as long as it did."
Portland made nine of 14 3-point attempts in the second half after
going only 2-for-15 from beyond the stripe before intermission.
"We got some stops," Stotts said, "and then the shots seemed to have
a better chance of going in."
Oklahoma City was playing without the NBA's Most Valuable Player
last season, forward Kevin Durant, out indefinitely following
preseason foot surgery. The Thunder had only nine players dressed,
and each of them played at least 15 minutes.
"Our guys played their hearts out," Oklahoma City coach Scotty
Brooks said. "That's all I can ask, that they compete and play hard
and play for each other, and they did that tonight. We just made too
many mistakes at the end of the game."
Westbrook was a terror through a first half in which he scored 26
points, dished out five assists and finished the half on a breakaway
dunk that gave the Thunder a 54-49 lead at the break.
Aldridge was big, too, with 18 points for the Blazers, who shot only
38.3 percent from the field in the half. Lillard was 0-for-5 from
the field and scoreless in 14 first-half minutes.
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The Thunder extended the margin to 60-52, but the Blazers chipped
away, drawing within 68-65 midway through the third quarter.
Oklahoma City took a 77-75 into the final period.
Portland opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers by
Matthews and Lillard to seize an 81-77 advantage. It was 101-85
after Matthews sank consecutive threes, and the Thunder were done.
"We put ourselves in position to win, but we don't take moral
victories around here," Westbrook said. "We never will. We know we
have enough to win; we just have to find a way to close."
Westbrook scored the game's first four points and had 11 in the
first quarter as Oklahoma City jumped to a 16-7 lead, then settled
for a 34-29 advantage heading into the second period. Aldridge lit
it up for 15 points in the quarter.
With 7-footers Robin Lopez and Chris Kaman on the floor at the same
time, Portland outscored Oklahoma City 8-1 at the outset of the
second quarter to go in front 37-35. The Thunder regained control
and went into the half with a five-point advantage.
NOTES: Portland won its home opener for the 14th consecutive season.
... Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge's first shot of the season was a
made 3-pointer just 90 seconds into the game. The All-Star went
3-for-15 from beyond the arc last season. ... Oklahoma City was
without six injured players -- starting F Kevin Durant (foot) and
reserves G Reggie Jackson (ankle), G Jeremy Lamb (back), F Anthony
Morrow (knee), F Mitch McGary (foot) and F Grant Jerrett (ankle).
With Durant out, the Thunder went big, starting 7-foot C Steven
Adams, 6-11 F Perry Jones and 6-10 Serge Ibaka on the front line.
... Portland coach Terry Stotts, before the game on Thunder G
Russell Westbrook: "There's not a better competitor in the league
than Russell. He's going to have the leadership mantle to carry.
This is an opportunity, and he's probably going to thrive."
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