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Oden and Aldridge lead Trail Blazers to spectacular victory

11/23/09

Written by: Max Mandel

After a terrific first half performance, which saw the Trail Blazers (11-5) build a double-digit lead, there was an ominous feeling in the Rose Garden. Having seen the Trail Blazers allow teams to battle back from huge deficits, the fans became even more antsy when the lead was whittled down to six points in the third quarter. Instead of allowing the Chicago Bulls (6-7) to make it an interesting fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers put their foot on the gas and completely dominated the final 16 minutes of the game in their 122-98 win. The 122 points is a season-high for the Trail Blazers and they have now won five straights games against the Bulls.

In case some fans haven't noticed yet, Greg Oden is quickly developing into an elite level big man. Against a tough Bulls front court, Oden had the best game of his young career. He matched a career-high with 24 points and pulled down 12 boards. Oden continued his spectacular shooting from the field, hitting 7-8 attempts, and also delivered at the free-throw line, where he hit 10-12 attempts. Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan came away very impressed with the play of his young center.

"I thought he was great. I though he was really patient in the post, did a nice job taking his time, reading the defense, and if the defense played him with single coverage, he was able to score."

Oden is not the only big guy on the Trail Blazers who will grab some headlines. LaMarcus Aldridge recorded his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 boards. The starting duo of Oden and Aldridge combined for 48 points while the starting front court of the Bulls only managed 13.

After the game, Bulls center Joakim Noah expressed his frustration at the dominance of the Trail blazers front court.

"He played very well, he is a tough guy," Noah said of Oden. "He just kept putting his body on me. Then Przybilla comes in, and all of them are just big guys. They played very well tonight."

Even with Aldridge and Oden completely dominating, the Portland back court turned in some solid performances as well. The combination of Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez came off the bench to provide a terrific spark. Miller continually looked to push the tempo and attack the rim, which resulted in 16 points and five assists. Fernandez maintained his lights out shooting from behind the arc, hitting 3-5 shots from deep, and scored 13 points on the night. Although it might be a quiet night for his standards, Brandon Roy scored 18 points and dished out 7 assists.

John Salmons and Luol Deng played quite well in the loss. Deng showed the terrific range he has worked on to develop, hitting 9-14 from the field, and scoring 25 points. Salmons routinely hit open looks and stretched the defense, scoring 22 points on the night. Over the past three games, the Bulls have played against the Nuggets, Lakers, and Trail Blazers. According to Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro, this Trail Blazers team can match up with the elite in the Western Conference.

"When you have size and can control the paint, you have the opportunity to be successful," Del Negro said after the game. "They have a lot of weapons, no question. Oden is developing and when you can control the paint, you have an opportunity, because jump shots go up and down sometimes. Consistency in the middle gives you an opportunity every night to be successful."

The Trail Blazers return to the court on Wednesday night when they host the New Jersey Nets. Opening tip is scheduled for 7:00 PST at the Rose Garden.
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