Russell Westbrook leads Oklahoma City Thunder to a 109-95 win over Portland Trail Blazers: NBA Recap
Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 32 points and 8 assist, Kevin Durant exploded with 25 points on 10-for-14 while James Harden came off the bench with 21 points as the hot shooting Oklahoma City Thunder took over the Portland Trail Blazers 109-95 at the Rose Garden.
Thunder shot 57 percent from the field on Tuesday night while the Trail Blazers managed to knock down 43 percent of their tries. Harden, in particular was exceptional. The bearded forward made 6 of the seven field goal including 2 on 2 from the three point range. He also scored all seven of his free throws.
Portland were paced by 21 points from J.J. Hickson, LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 8 boards, Wesley Matthews finished the night with 17 while Nicolas Batum pitched in with 13.
Thunder roared off to a fast start, but a couple of three pointers from Portland midway through the first quarter set them back, with the host closing in at 11-12. OKC, looking for their fifth consecutive win, were on the move though and responded with a 16-3 to take 28-14 lead, before closing out the quarter with a 32-18 advantage.
The first three minutes of the second frame saw an old fashion shoot out with jumpers flowing in from each end. OKC committed two turnovers in the next minute, allowing Portland six consecutive points and single digit deficit, 34-43.
It didn’t take Oklahoma City long to reclaim the double digit lead though, as James Harden erupted with seven points on a trot. An 8-nothing run late in the half, capped by two jumpers from Durant, pushed the lead to 21 points - the biggest of the game - with 35.6 seconds left.
Portland cut the deficit by three, 47-65, till the interval and then erupted with a 17-2 run in the third to make it a five point game, 66-71. With the lead evaporating fast, Westbrook came to Thunder’s rescue with six points on three possessions and after Matthews made a jumper, he made a deuce to hand OKC a 79-70 edge.
OKC consequently managed to a take an 84-75 lead into the fourth and then made the final push with a 10-2 run early. Staring at 96-79 hole with just seven minutes remaining on the clock, Jonny Flynn and Hickson tried to initiate some semblance of a comeback, but every time they inched ahead, Westbrook was there to push them right back. The Thunder point guard scored 8 of the last 11 points for his team, seeing them off to an emphatic 109-95 win.
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