Prtland Trail Blazers hosts the NBA’s best team - the Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, February 06, 2012
Frank Martin
After scoring a season high in a 117-97 rout of Denver, Portland Trail Blazers hosts the NBA’s best team - the Oklahoma City Thunder - on Monday. Forward Nicolas Batum scored a career-high 33 points and set a franchise record with nine 3-point field goals for the Trail Blazers on Saturday.
Batum had missed two games with a sore left knee. “I didn't know if I was going to play until this morning, after shoot around,” Batum said. “I talked with coach (Nate McMillan). I was running pretty good, so I said, 'OK, let's try it.’ I think it was a good choice.” Teammate LaMarcus Aldridge had 29 points and nine assists.
Portland tries to improve to 12-1 at home against a Thunder team that had no answer for Tony Parker and lost 107-96 to San Antonio. Parker scored 42 points and became the Spurs’ all-time assist leader. “They're not the top team until the end of the season, but they're the team right now that's playing the best basketball,” McMillan said of Oklahoma City.
- Oklahoma City Thunder @ Portland Trail Blazers
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, February 6, 2012
Where: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
TV: 10 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma (Oklahoma City), CS Northwest (Portland)
The Thunder have opened as 1.5-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NBA Basketball Odds.
Oklahoma City Thunder (18-5): Guard Thabo Sefolosha missed his fourth straight game with a sore right foot Saturday. Sefolosha is at a loss to explain why the injury is not improving. “The tendon is still irritated,” he said. “Something with the bone also. I don't know. It bothered me earlier this season, too.” Sefolosha leads the Thunder in 3-point shooting percentage (48.1) after making 13 of 27. This is the second of a five-game trip for Oklahoma City, which completes a back-to-back at Golden State on Tuesday.
Portland Trail Blazers (14-10): Because Portland is only 3-9 on the road, its home record has been key to staying close in the Northwest Division, the NBA’s toughest. “With us dropping some games on the road, (we want to) continue to try and defend home court, especially during this stretch of games,” McMillan said. “We’ve got some top teams coming in here and another division game coming up, so all games are important.” Portland will host Houston on Wednesday.
1. Portland is averaging 105.8 points at the Rose Garden this season and has won its last five at home by an average of 25.4 points.
2. The Thunder are 9-4 on the road and trying to stay on pace to match a franchise-best 12-3 mark set seven years ago when the team was based in Seattle
3. Gerald Wallace led Portland in scoring average (26.5) against the Thunder last season in his two appearances. Wallace scored a season-best 40 points against Oklahoma City on March 27.
NBA BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 104, Thunder 100
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gerald wallace - lamarcus aldridge - nate mcmillan - nicolas batum - oklahoma city thunder - portland trail blazers - rose garden - thabo sefolosha - tony parker
