National Basketball Association
Oklahoma City 101, Portland 90
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, April 13, 2015
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Officials:
#56 Mark Ayotte, #24 Mike Callahan, #63 Derek Richardson
Attendance:
18203
By The Sports Xchange
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Guard Russell Westbrook scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 101-90 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Monday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The win keeps the Thunder (44-37) tied with the New Orleans Pelicans (44-37) for eighth place in the Western Conference standings heading into the final game of the season.
However, the Pelicans own the tie-breaker by winning the season series. To advance to the postseason, Oklahoma City has to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday and have New Orleans lose to the surging San Antonio Spurs.
The Blazers (51-30) were locked into the fourth seed heading into the game. But they have now lost three straight games and four of their last five.
Center Enes Kanter posted 27 points and 13 rebounds for the Thunder. Guard Dion Waiter added 13 points.
Center Meyers Leonard led Portland with 24 points on 9 of 17 shots. Forward John Freeland added 16 points. Guard Damian Lillard was held to 10 points on 3-for-9 shooting.
With 5:15 left in the fourth quarter, guard Anthony Morrow drained a 3-pointer to give the Thunder a 91-82 advantage. The Blazers turned the ball over on a shot-clock violation. Westbrook followed with a drive to the hoop for a layup attempt that was blocked, but Portland was called for goaltending.
The Blazers came up empty on their next trip. Westbrook attempted 3-pointer, that was short. Portland got the rebound and tried to outlet the pass. But Westbrook intercepted it and drove to the rim and was fouled. He made two free throws to give Oklahoma City a 95-82 advantage.
NOTES: The NBA announced Monday afternoon that Russell Westbrook's 16th technical foul of the season was rescinded, which allowed the Oklahoma City guard to play against Portland. It was the second time this year Westbrook had a technical foul taken back and the 46th technical foul rescinded by the league this season. "Seeing it live, I was pretty confident they would rescind it," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Then watching the video, I felt the same thing. I am glad they did." ... Trail Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge missed his second consecutive game with a sprained left foot. "Hopefully he will play Wednesday," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "It's bothering him."
Top Game Performances
Portland |
|
Oklahoma City |
Meyers Leonard 24 |
Scoring |
Russell Westbrook 36 |
Tim Frazier 7 |
Assists |
Russell Westbrook 7 |
Allen Crabbe 7 |
Rebounds |
Enes Kanter 13 |
Damian Lillard 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Russell Westbrook 8 |
Damian Lillard 1 |
Steals |
Dion Waiters 3 |
Joel Freeland 1 |
Blocks |
Steven Adams 4 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Portland
|
90 |
45.8 |
8-23 |
6-9 |
22 |
35 |
4 |
1 |
13 |
Oklahoma City
|
101 |
40.6 |
4-21 |
19-27 |
14 |
58 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
Upcoming Games
-
Oklahoma City will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Thunder have a W/L % of .558 after a win and .526 after a loss.
-
Portland will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .692 after a win and .517 after a loss.