Thunder ride Durant, win sixth straight
February 9, 2010
PORTLAND, Ore (AP)—Kevin Durant(notes) had 33 points and 11 rebounds to help OklahomaCity extend its season-high winning streak to six games with an 89-77 victoryover Portland on Tuesday night.
It’s the 25th straight game that Durant has scored 25 or more points—thelongest streak since Allen Iverson(notes) did it in 27 consecutive games during the2000-01 season.
Jeff Green(notes) scored 17 points and James Harden(notes) 13 as Oklahoma City (30-21)ended a four-game losing streak to Portland.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Th… AP – Feb 9, 10:56 pm EST Portland Trail Blazers guard A… AP – Feb 9, 10:54 pm EST
Oklahoma City Thunder forward … AP – Feb 9, 10:49 pm EST
Oklahoma City Thunder forward … AP – Feb 9, 10:42 pm EST YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 3; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100210/capt.ca9a3918ed8c44d6864e67a78dce0366.thunder_trail_blazers_basketball_ordr103.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=39&yc=1&wc=334&hc=371&q=70&sig=hb1mLdu_CzWaL6tqe.aC_A--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100210/capt.0aea2ddf944b4c818f07af78815bf9b8.thunder_trail_blazers_basketball_ordr102.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=266&hc=296&q=70&sig=7pV5ozmvchc.8f96Y6.Jhg--,http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100210/capt.55e45f74066b46c3970e139b2fe7a947.thunder_trail_blazers_basketball_ordr101.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=1&yc=1&wc=282&hc=313&q=70&sig=VhKsyvxCebkHCzkaFTLNxg--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 4 OKC-Por Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init();
The Thunder defense did a job on the Trail Blazers, who committed 24turnovers and shot only .403, hitting 31 of 77 attempts from the floor.
Andre Miller(notes) scored 22 points to lead Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) had 15points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers (29-22).
Nicolas Batum(notes), who scored 12 points, made his first start of the season forPortland. The 6-foot-8 Batum, who started 76 games last year as a rookie, missedthis season’s first 45 games recovering from shoulder surgery.
It was the first time these two former Northwest rivals have played inPortland this season. Seattle moved its Sonics franchise to Oklahoma City priorto the start of the 2008-09 season. There was a smattering of fans around theRose Garden wearing a Seattle Sonics t-shirt or holding signs saying “Save OurSonics.”
Durant scored the game’s first four points to help Oklahoma City to a 15-2lead 5 minutes into the first quarter. Batum answered scoring nine points duringthe period as Portland cut the deficit to 23-17 heading into the second quarter.
It took the entire quarter for the Blazers to pull even, but they finallydid on an Miller layup just before halftime, tying the game at 41-41.
Portland took a 61-59 lead into the fourth quarter, but Harden took over. Hescored all 13 of his points in the fourth as the Thunder outscored the Blazers30-16 in the period.
Notes: Portland guard Steve Blake(notes) left the game late in the first quarterwith a chin laceration. He was given five stitches and returned to play duringthe second quarter. Portland’s Greg Oden(notes) and Durant, the first two picks of the2007 NBA draft, have faced each other only five times during their professionalcareer, despite playing in the same conference. Oden missed all but two games ofthe 2007-08 season following knee surgery, and is out for the remainder of thisseason with a patella tendon injury. In the first game between these teams onNov. 1, Durant hit just 3 of 20 shots against the Blazers.