| 02 April 2011
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 32 points, his most since February 16th, and Nicolas Batum added 19 points off the bench to help the Portland Trail Blazers keep pace in the Western Conference’s wild playoff race with an impressive 98-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Thunder dominate glass, build first-quarter lead
Portland started a bigger lineup than usual, inserting Marcus Camby in as center and putting Batum on the bench. This change didn't help the Blazers in the rebounding category, as Oklahoma City grabbed 12 of the first quarter’s 14 rebounds.
Portland only had two because there weren't many defensive rebounds to be had. And when there were, Oklahoma City’s hustle led to extra possessions. The Thunder grabbed four of their own misses, leading to six second-chance points and a 10-point lead entering the second.
James Harden, Batum catch fire for Thunder, Blazers in second
Harden, Oklahoma City’s sixth man extraordinaire, entered having scored 16 points per game over the past 10 games and built upon this impressive mark with a hot-shooting second quarter.
He scored their first six points and ended up with 12 in the quarter. Portland’s defense was surprisingly loose against him, and he certainly took advantage, scoring inside and out to help Oklahoma City hold their lead.
Batum made it difficult for Harden’s Thunder to. He was equally aggressive, scoring 12 of his 14 first-half points in the quarter. Due to his play as well as the hot-shooting by Aldridge, the Blazers stayed within striking distance despite allowing Oklahoma City to shoot 58 percent from the field.
Defensive intensity, Batum's put-back dunk help Blazers take control in third
After struggling defensively in the first half, Portland continuously frustrated Oklahoma City in the third. The Thunder had only 11 points in the quarter, tying the lowest allowed by Portland this season. Kevin Durant was held without a field goal, and the Thunder, a team used to driving inside, was forced to be perimeter-oriented.
The Blazers took full advantage, scoring 25 points to take an eight-point lead into the final quarter. They didn't commit any turnovers in the third and made a significant effort to score inside. Production came from everywhere, but two points stood out from all the rest.
Batum, who isn’t known to show much emotion, streaked towards the rim as Rudy Fernandez shot a three-pointer, leaped, grabbed the miss, defiantly dunked and posed for the crowd afterwards. That basket epitomized Portland’s energy and attitude in the quarter and in the game while also summing up Batum’s tremendous performance.
“I thought Nic was really good on both ends of the floor,” head coach Nate McMillan said postgame. “When Nicolas came into the game we were aggressive.”
Durant quiet, while Thunder can’t take advantage of rebounding edge
Durant didn’t score his first field goal of the second half until 1:47 was left in the game. Holding him in check was extremely important, especially since Harden cooled off while Russell Westbrook battled foul-trouble.
He had 25 points, scoring a flurry in the closing minute, but he missed 15 of his 24 shots, including 10 of his 13 three-point attempts.
To further hurt their chances of winning they weren’t able to consistently capitalize off 17 offensive rebounds. This inability as well as their 17 turnovers meant a lot of empty possessions and ample opportunities for Portland to stay close early and hold their lead late.
Defense fuels victory as pace slows
Portland was fast-paced in the third but the tempo slowed to a grind when it mattered. They took this in stride, building off their third-quarter defensive performance to prevail.
Oklahoma City shot only 41 percent for the game and missed 20 three-pointers. More importantly, they were held to just 32 second-half points.
“Our intensity was up,” Gerald Wallace said postgame. “Definitely a playoff atmosphere out there.”
photo: espn
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