Oden delivers Blazers win over Thunder

Basketball Betting Lines

02/12/2009 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Oden posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the Portland Trail Blazers used a strong fourth quarter to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 106-92, at the Rose Garden.

Brandon Roy added 22 points, six boards, and five assists for the Blazers, who have won their last five home games. Travis Outlaw ended with 21 points. Rudy Fernandez had 13 points, while Jerryd Bayless finished with 12. LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

"A lot of difference between tonight's game and the one last week: Tonight we did a better job in transition and we took away the paint," said Portland coach Nate McMillan. "And we contested their perimeter shots. I'd say the two big differences were -- transition defense and protecting the paint. I like the way Greg played, and especially the way we got him the ball when he was open. He also did a good job of going after other people's shots."

Oklahoma City was paced by Russell Westbrook, who ended with 21 points and 12 boards. Kevin Durant added 20 points and seven rebounds for the Thunder, who have dropped two straight games. Jeff Green tallied 17 points, while Chris Wilcox had 11.

After giving the Blazers a battle for 36 minutes, the wheels fell off for the Thunder in the fourth quarter. Portland used a 14-2 run to begin the final period. A Fernandez shot from beyond the arc gave the Blazers a 94-76 advantage, and complete control of the game. Fernandez had seven points during the spurt.

Oklahoma City never got closer than 16 the remainder of the way, as the Blazers outscored the Thunder 26-18 in the fourth.

"For the most part, we battled and we did a good job defensively but we didn't do one thing good defensively all night and we gave them offensive rebounds," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "We just have to finish our defense with a rebound. In the second half they got 12 offensive rebounds for put-backs, but for the most part, guys battled hard and I'm proud of the effort."

The Blazers, who led by as many as six in the first frame, held onto a 23-20 lead heading into the second stanza.

Trailing 35-29, the Thunder scored seven unanswered points to take their first lead since early in the first quarter. Westbrook capped off the run with a pair of foul shots with about six minutes left until half. Wilcox tallied five points during the spurt.

Portland responded with five straight points to take back the lead. A Fernandez three-pointer topped off the run and gave the Blazers a 40-36 edge. Oklahoma City bounced back to tie the game and eventually took the lead again.

A Durant jumper put the Thunder ahead 46-44 with just under two minutes until half. But the Blazers finished the half with nine consecutive points to open up a 53-46 lead going into the locker room. Outlaw had five points during the spurt, including an exciting one-handed jam with 0.7 ticks left in the half.

Oklahoma City shot 37.8 percent from the field in the first half, including 0-of-3 from beyond the arc. The Thunder did shoot 12-of-16 from the charity stripe, while the Blazers shot just 1-of-4 from the foul line before the break.

The Thunder outscored the Blazers 6-2 to start the third period. Durant connected on a pair of foul shots to cut the margin to 55-52 with about 10 1/2 minutes to go. But Portland maintained its lead throughout the frame and finished the period on a strong note.

Ahead 72-68, the Blazers scored five unanswered points, which was capped off with a Bayless dunk with 2:46 left. Portland took an 80-74 lead into the fourth period.

This was the last game before the All-Star break for the Thunder, who hold a 13-40 record. They find themselves in the basement of the Northwest Division. The Blazers (32-19) are in second, behind Denver, in the Northwest. Portland will play at Golden State Thursday for its final game before the break.

Game Notes

The Blazers shot 48.8 percent from the field, while the Thunder hit 39 percent of their shots...Portland went 8-of-19 from three-point land, compared to 1-of-7 for Oklahoma City...Heading into the game, the Oklahoma City/Seattle franchise had won three straight over the Blazers, including a 102-93 win at the Ford Center last Friday.

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