Oklahoma City Thunder snap two-game losing streak
After dropping their last two games, the Oklahoma City Thunder rallied to beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 107-106, in overtime on Thursday 4 November at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon.
The reigning NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and starting point guard Russell Westbrook both scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds apiece for the Thunder, who had to erase a 13-point
deficit in the second half to snap their two-game skid.
"We needed it a lot," said Durant, whose team dropped their game against the Utah Jazz on 31 October and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday 3 November. "It's kind of like a monkey off
our back once the buzzer ended it. It's a good win for us."
Jeff Green also had an impressive game as the 24-year old forward racked up 19 points and nine rebounds, and the Thunder also got 11 points and seven rebounds from James Harden, who converted
a layup and a free throw that gave Oklahoma City a 103-100 lead in the extra period.
The Trail Blazers pulled within a point, 103-102, but the Thunder made four-straight crucial free throws down the stretch that sealed their third win of the season.
"This is a big win for us. I just liked the way we competed and stayed with it," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "We got down in the first half but we just chipped away and stayed together
and kept fighting and good things happened."
LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland in scoring with his 22 points, while Brandon Roy had an all-around performance with his 19 points, five assists, and five rebounds, but the all-star shooting
guard missed a 22-footer that could have ended the game in regulation.
"I had a feeling Kevin Durant was going to sit on the jumper, because he's pretty long," Roy said about missed potential game-winner. "When he went past, I couldn't tell if he got a piece
of the ball or not. But when I let go, it didn't feel right on release."
Nicolas Batum and Andre Miller had 16 points each, with the latter adding 11 assists, while veteran centre Marcus Camby added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, who missed their first
six attempts in overtime and also turned the ball over twice in their first eight possessions.
The Trail Blazers were outrebounded by the Thunder, 47-38, and also allowed 15 offensive boards.
"We beat ourselves tonight," Portland head coach Nate McMillan said. "The game came down to rebounding, getting stops and having execution on offense. They dominated the boards, we had too
many defensive breakdowns and we settled for a lot of jump shots."
Before the game, Portland announced the retirement of veteran centre Fabricio Oberto because of a poor heart condition, and also revealed that rookie guard Elliot Williams will miss the rest
of the season after dislocating his right patella.
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