Thunder Outlast Blazers In Bizarre Heated Finish At Portland

Grant Belcher, News9.com

PORTLAND, Oregon – Somehow or another, the ball was just determined to bounce Oklahoma City's way when all was said and done.

A wild and extremely drawn-out end of regulation finally resulted in overtime and a 111-107 Thunder victory on Monday.

The Thunder got more than their fair share of opportunities to tie the ballgame in the bizarre closing seconds of regulation.

With 30 seconds remaining, OKC brought the ball up the court trailing 103-101. Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer, but Serge Ibaka pulled down an offensive rebound to keep the play alive.

Russell Westbrook then missed a 20-foot jumper, but the ball deflected out of bounds off a Portland player and giving the Thunder their third chance.

After Kevin Durant clanged a layup off the bottom of the backboard, the ball went off Portland center Marcus Camby and out of bounds yet again, allowing OKC a fourth opportunity in the span of about 25 seconds.

This time, Durant drove to the bucket, laying the ball off the backboard and Portland forward Lamarcus Aldridge goaltended it, tying the game at 103.

Blazers forward Nicolas Batum had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Westbrook blocked the layup attempt to force the extra period.

And in clutch situations such as overtime, it doesn't get much better than the duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

They combined for six of OKC's eight points in overtime, including a breakway slam from Durant to ice the game with 2.5 seconds left.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, things got chippy in the Rose Garden as Blazers fans were upset with the officiating and the Thunder's closing ability.

Several fans began throwing bottles onto the court and both teams left the playing area without shaking hands or conversing.

With a game so chock-full of action, it was almost hard to pinpoint certain players who put up quality games, as a number of Thunder players played a huge role in the win.

Durant led all OKC scorers with 33, but Westbrook had the monster stat line of the night with 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

Five of Westbrook's 11 rebounds came on the offensive end, and many of them came in crucial situations.

Serge Ibaka had 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in another inspired game, leading the OKC defensive effort.

James Harden also added 19 points and Kendrick Perkins had 10 boards. Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge led all scorers with 39.

But the biggest contributions of the night weren't measurable by statistics.

The Thunder put up perhaps their biggest display of guts, hustle and effort of the year, blocking shots, fast breaking and diving for every loose ball.

The result was OKC's ability to hold off a number of Portland runs after the Blazers managed to cut the lead back down from as many as 12.

The loss was just the second home loss for the Blazers this season as they fell to 14-11 overall.

Oklahoma City improved to 19-5 and will not have any time to revel in its impressive victory. The Thunder will continue their road trip as they take on the Golden State Warriors at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday.