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Oden solid in debut as Blazers rout Kings

Oct 8, 2008 - 5:29 AM By Daniel Cochran PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Playing for the first time with a healthy roster, the Portland Trail Blazers put their potential on display Tuesday.

Greg Oden had 13 points and five rebounds in his first NBA action, helping the Blazers cruise to a 110-81 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

The 2007 top overall pick, Oden shot 5-of-8 from the field with four dunks and had two blocks in 20 minutes. It was the 20-year-old's first game after missing his entire rookie season while recovering from microfracture knee surgery.

"It felt good to be out there with my teammates," Oden said. "It was fun being out there."

"The focus on him right now is conditioning," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.

Martell Webster led six Blazers in double figures with 15 points and Brandon Roy had 14 and seven assists. Portland, which exceeded expectations with a 41-41 record last season, had 32 assists on 39 baskets.

Oden did most of his damage in the first half with eight points and four rebounds as the Blazers held a 53-50 lead at the break. The 7-footer dunked on Kings center Spencer Hawes while absorbing the foul two minutes into the contest.

"I always wanna get a dunk, it loosens me up," Oden said. "I'm a physical player."

Portland would expand that lead tremendously after the intermission as Rudy Fernandez promptly stole Oden's thunder in the second half.

Fernandez caught an alley-oop from fellow Spaniard Sergio Rodriguez in the third quarter that brought the crowd to its feet.

The very next play, Fernandez snuck a ball through the legs of Sacramento rookie forward Jason Thompson to LaMarcus Aldridge and, moments later, Fernandez completed a circus layup that prompted the third "Rudy! Rudy!" chant of the night. The basket gave the Blazers an 81-59 bulge with 1:38 left in the quarter.

Rookie Donte Greene was the lone highlight for the Kings, scoring 18 points.

Kevin Martin, Sacramento's leading scorer last season, and center Brad Miller were scratched from the starting lineup prior to the game each with right quad injuries.