Trail Blazers Top Thunder 83-74

Tonight in Oklahoma City, the Trail Blazers shook some early cobwebs and finished off the Thunder 83-74. Steve Blake led Portland with 18 points including 4-of-5 from deep while Brandon Roy finished things off to bring Portland's record to 2-2. While it's ridiculous to think that a win could be this important so early in the season, the Blazers needed this game. Coming off brutal losses to Denver and Houston, a loss in Oklahoma City would have blown a gasket for a stressed out Portland fan base. This game had me on a roller coaster of emotion, after the first quarter Portland seemed to have control over this young Oklahoma City team with a commanding 25-13 lead. But after LaMarcus went out following a knee contusion, the team seemed to lose control. The Thunder nearly tied it by half time, coming within two points. Brandon Roy was struggling and not getting any calls. He and Nate were frustrated, and nothing felt right. Fortunately Steve Blake stayed steady throughout. He was finally ... (link)