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 The Trail Blazers were back in town Monday and Durant wanted to
make sure they knew he hadn't forgotten what happened. The Thunder
cruised to a 128-94 victory at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
"We just wanted to win," Durant said. "At the end of the day this
team beat us in the last couple of minutes of the game up there in
Portland. We know we might face these guys in the playoffs and we
wanted to send a message. Anyone we play against, we have the same
mindset. We came out there and handled business."
Enes Kanter scored 26 points to lead the Oklahoma City. He shot 9 of
15 from the field to lead seven Oklahoma City players in double
figures as the Thunder recorded their largest margin of victory this
season. It was also the first time since Jan. 4 that a player other
than Durant or Russell Westbrook led the team in scoring.
Westbrook collected his 12th triple-double of the season as he
posted 17 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds and zero turnovers.
 Durant only shot 6 of 15 from the field and 1 of 5 from 3-point
range while scoring 20 points. Serge Ibaka added 15 points and seven
rebounds to help the Thunder improve to 45-22.
Portland was paced by Damian Lillard, who scored 21 points. CJ
McCollum added 15 points. However, the Blazers' high-scoring
backcourt combined to shoot just 12 of 33 from the field as the
Blazers fell to 35-33.
"They started taking control late in the first," Portland coach
Terry Stotts said. "I rarely question our effort. I think our guys
play hard every night. They (Thunder) played very well and we had a
rough night at both ends."
The Trail Blazers started the game bombing away from three-point
land, attempting 10 three-pointers in the first quarter. They
entered the game riding a franchise-record eight straight games with
at least 10 shots made from behind the 3-point arc. That streak
ended against the Thunder as the Blazers made only seven of their 27
3-point attempts.
Durant made his first six shots as the Thunder took a 31-22
advantage into the second quarter.
The Blazers had to rely on their perimeter players to shoulder the
scoring load, but neither Lillard nor McCollum shot a high
percentage in the first half.
"I like the way we defended," Durant said. "I think that's what
starts everything for us. We did a great job in the pick-and-roll
coverage on Lillard and McCollum. We didn't give them any space and
they weren't able to shoot those rhythm threes that they usually
like to hit."
Durant and Westbrook got help from Kanter and Anthony Morrow, who
had been in a shooting slump but on Monday was 4 of 5 from the
field, including 3-of-4 shooting from long range, while scoring 11
points.
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Westbrook had 11 first half assists, but would have had at least 15
if the Thunder big men had converted some easy shots.
With Westbrook one rebound shy of a first-half triple-double,
Oklahoma City held a 66-42 halftime lead.
"I don't know if anybody in the league has an answer for that,"
Stotts said of Westbrook. "He gets going downhill, he's hard to
stop. It takes a team effort. It takes focus every time. He's an
All-Star for a reason. He's one of the best players in the world for
a reason. He almost had a triple-double at halftime. That's what he
does."
Oklahoma City didn't let the Blazers get into the game in the second
half. The Thunder starters spent the fourth quarter on the bench. It
was a good way to end a two-game losing streak.
"It's a mindset," Westbrook said. "That's what this league is all
about, getting a chance to play the next night. We came out with a
good mindset and it showed."
NOTES: Despite his team losing 12 games in which they led going into
the fourth quarter, Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan doesn't
consider them all collapses. "I don't really consider a two-point
game a fourth-quarter lead," Donovan said. "I consider up by seven
or eight with three minutes, four minutes to go in a game, those in
my opinion are leads we've got to finish out." ... Portland coach
Terry Stotts is looking for his alma mater, Oklahoma, to win the
NCAA championship. "I hope they are," Stotts said. "This year I
think anything can happen with the NCAA. They were No. 1. A lot of
teams were No. 1. I think anything is possible this year." ...
Thunder G Dion Waiters missed his fourth straight game since the
death of his younger brother. Donovan expects Waiters to rejoin the
team during the upcoming three-game road trip. "Hopefully he will be
available for our next game," Donovan said.
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