Rapid reaction: Oklahoma City beats Portland 106-92 in home opener

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater

Backed by strong performances from the stars, Oklahoma City smoked Portland 106-92 in the home opener on Friday night. Here’s some rapid reaction:

It was over when…

…Oklahoma City lost the season opener in heartbreaking fashion the night before. There was just a feeling that this team, with legit title aspirations, wasn’t going allow an 0-2 start. Not against Portland and not in the home opener.

Star of the game – Russell Westbrook

The Thunder’s most polarizing star did what he’s known for doing. One night after a terrible showing, Westbrook shook off the rust and poured in a game-high 32 points on 13/24 shooting, adding six assists and five rebounds. He was in attack mode all game, abusing Portland’s young point guard duo (Damian Lillard and Nolan Smith).

Way too early season prediction

Kevin Durant will average double-digit rebounds this year - I know, sounds a little bold considering the lanky forward has never averaged more than eight in his previous five years in the league. But take a closer look at the numbers. All but one time, his rebounding numbers have increased from the year prior. Last season, he topped out at eight. Through two games this year, he’s averaging 15.5 boards. Keep an eye on it.

Harden shines, Martin produces

James Harden was in Atlanta Friday night, dropping a career-high 45 points and nudging national pundits to declare Oklahoma City’s questionable trade an immediate failure. That remains to be seen. But in the meantime, Kevin Martin has more than done his expected job in Thunder land. OKC’s new bench scorer dropped in 19 points on 11 shots, scoring with efficiency and timeliness. He hit all three of his triples, including a dagger in the fourth quarter.