Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trailblazers: Breaking Down the Game

It seems like only yesterday these two teams met back in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder were able to pull out a close victory. This time around the tables were turned and Portland won a game that looked like OKC would run away with in the first half.

The biggest reason the Thunder couldn't pull out a victory on the road was because of Kevin Durant's second half woes. In the first quarter alone he put up 13 points and seemed to be on his way to another great scoring night.

Unfortunately, he was only able to score 12 points the rest of the way and didn't collect a second half field goal until there was only 1:31 left in the game. You can't put the entire loss on him because he did add 11 boards, but it's safe to say that the Thunder won't win many games when he goes 9-of-24 from the field and 3-for-13 from three.

As I said last time these two teams played, Gerald Wallace is one of the few players in the league I think can actually shut down Kevin Durant, and even though Durant was able to get 25 points, Wallace did just that tonight.

It reminded me of a playoff game last year in which Kobe Bryant scored 25-plus points against the Thunder, but had to become a volume shooter to do so because of Thabo Sefolosha's hounding defense. Wallace had a similar showing tonight, and if Brandon Roy can get healthy, this is not a team I want to play in the playoffs.

Wallace and Roy aren't the only reasons the Blazers scare me. LaMarcus Aldridge has put together a great season while playing without his main running mate, Roy. Tonight, with Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins in foul trouble, he was able to put together another great game with 32 points and eight boards.

I would feel much more confident as a Blazers fan if they had a little more size because Gerald Wallace should not be getting minutes at the four very often. However, with Aldridge playing at this level, it might not matter.

Speaking of big men, Kendrick Perkins has greatly bolstered the Thunder's defense and continues to amaze me. I never really got a chance to watch him when he played for Boston, but now that I get to see him three or four times a week, I can really appreciate his tenacity in the post. Hopefully his mean streak can lead the Thunder deep into the playoffs.

Serge Ibaka wasn't able to put up the 18-plus points like he has been the past few games, but he did contribute five blocks. Having his athleticism on the backside gives Perkins free range to do whatever he wants. To be honest, as a whole, this team is super long and should be able to harass almost any opponent they face come the second season.

Finally, for Thunder players that impressed, we have James Harden. It's safe to say that without his 21 points off the bench this would've been a blow out. When no one else could hit a shot, he stepped up and made a few key plays to at least keep the Thunder in it.

I sincerely hope Scottie Brooks doesn't put him in the starting lineup anytime soon. That second team has no other go to scorer and switching him out with Sefolosha would kill one of the best second units in the league.

It remains to be seen if this loss will be a good or bad one for the Thunder. Hopefully they don't lose sight of the big picture and use this win to notice some flaws in their game. At the very least, it shows them how good Portland could be in the playoffs and now they'll make sure not to sleep on a team that they almost swept in the season series.