Road Trip Ends With Loss in OKC
The Trail Blazers tough seven-game road trip ended with a 111-95 loss at Oklahoma City last night. The Blazers trailed 31-15 after one quarter and they never recovered. Portland never gave up in this one, and they did get within eight points early in the fourth quarter.
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Officials: #56 Mark Ayotte, #10 Ron Garretson, #68 Marat Kogut
Attendance: 18203
In the end, the Blazers appeared a bit tired and they simply couldn’t stop the Thunder.
Love ’Em
1. Wesley Matthews
Like most of the guards on this team, Wesley Matthews has struggled most of the year. He seems to have come into his own the last couple games. He went 3 for 3 beyond the arc last night, and he seems to be getting quite a few more minutes now that Nate McMillan is gone.
2. Joel Przybilla
With Marcus Camby now in Houston, Joel Przybilla will take on a much bigger role for this team. He had a terrific showing last night in Oklahoma City. Przybilla grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked two shots. He also made three of his four shots from the floor.
3. Nolan Smith
Nolan Smith was a guy that saw almost no action until the last few games, but he has been getting some quality time of late. Smith is making the most of his chances on the floor. He scored a career high 12 points in the big win over Chicago, and he followed that up with eight points in 14 minutes last night.
Blazers vs Thunder: love 'em & hate 'em
Hate ‘Em
1. Three-Point Defense
It’s hard to understand why, but the Blazers can’t seem to get out on three-point shooters this season. Oklahoma City went 11 for 18 from three-point range in this game.
2. LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge struggled through this game. Serge Ibaka and the rest of the Thunder frontcourt really made life difficult on Aldridge. He finished just 6 for 19 from the floor for 15 points. He also turned the ball over three times and had just six rebounds.
3. Lack of Assists
Portland has been plagued by a lack of ball movement all year. Last night the Blazers had just 15 assists on 39 field goals. In comparison, the Thunder finished with 24 assists on their 41 field goals.
The Blazers really need to get moving the ball better rather than playing one-on-one basketball.
Portland finally returns home to the Rose Garden for a matchup with Milwaukee on Tuesday.
| Portland | Oklahoma City | ||
| Fast Break Points | 8 | Fast Break Points | 5 |
| Points in the Paint | 48 | Points in the Paint | 44 |
| Biggest Lead | 0 | Biggest Lead | 21 |
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