PORTLAND, ORE -- The Portland Trail Blazers (11-6), led by Brandon Roy’s double-double, beat the New Orleans Hornets (9-6) 101-86 in front of 20,638 at the Rose Garden Friday night. Roy finished with 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Portland is now 7-0 at the Rose Garden, their best home start since the ’01-’02 season, and is 7-3 overall in the last 10 games.
Brandon Roy was virtually unstoppable every time he drove to the hoop scoring 14 hard-earned points in the paint. Roy was so effective that Portland coach Nate McMillan could be seen signaling for the Trail Blazers to clear-out of the way for Roy with three minutes left in the game. On the next possession, Roy drove to the hoop and as the defense collapsed, he dished it out to LaMarcus Aldridge who sank a 20-foot jumper from the right wing.
“I thought Brandon did a really good job of having the game come to him,” said head coach Nate McMillan. “He was so efficient tonight. Brandon wants the ball down the stretch. He has so much confidence. His successes late in the game gives me and the whole team confidence in him.”
The second half was the defining point of the game as the Trail Blazers used a 17-0 run starting in the third and ending in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Throughout the third quarter, the lead wavered back and forth until LaMarcus Alridge hit back-to back-layups and Rudy Fernandez hit two free-throws to ignite the run. Aldridge finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and a block.
Hornet’s guard Chris Paul was held to only six assists despite averaging a league-leading 12 per game. In the two matchups this season, the Trail Blazers have held Paul under his season average for points and assists.
The Trail Blazers now head east on a five-game road trip with stops in Detroit, New York, Washington, Boston and Toronto. Portland will take on the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills Sunday at noon. Mike Barrett and Mike Rice will have the call on KGW. Brian Wheeler and Antonio Harvey will have the radio call on 95.5 The Game and on all off the stations of the Trail Blazers Radio Network.
NATE MCMILLAN
“We played a really good team. They’re a real challenge for us. I thought after the first half we made some adjustments and improved, especially our bench play. Our bench responded after their bench outplayed us in the first half."
“I think we turned it around in the third quarter because they had a lot of open looks they didn’t knock down but we made our shots. Our defense was sound most of the night. We did a different defense on Chris (Paul). We committed three guys to put pressure on their pick-and-roll. Then we mixed that up with two, using our center and a guard. I think Blake and Sergio did a really good job of keeping Paul in front of them for the most part."
“It was just a good game for us in a lot of categories: We got to shoot 25 free throws, we had 25 assists, shot 53% and made only 12 turnovers. Your going to win most games that way."
“Still, we’ve got to keep improving. I’m really pleased with our games at home and the fan support we get but we’ve got to make our own noise out on the road. I’m happy with our record and where we are but there’s a lot of season left and we must continue to get better.”
BRANDON ROY
“Well, our whole thing was to get and play 48 minutes. We didn’t panic. They played last night and knew they’d tire out. We had the better legs down the stretch. You could see it. They couldn’t knock down their three point shots (late in the game). We did a great job of pressing them for 48 minutes.
About being 7-0 at home “Its our home court. We have to win every game here. The Western Conference is tough. We have to take the next five games on the road and get some wins.”
LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE
“Coach talked to us and told us this team, they were going to challenge us. We had to play start to finish, we had to play the whole game. We’re trying to bring ‘Rip City’ back (to Portland). I think we’re doing a pretty good job.
“Coach talked to us about how we wanted to get this last game to set up some momentum for the road. We played well and guys are finding their rhythm. We should do well on the road.”
BYRON SCOTT
“They’re tough here. They play extremely well at home. You can’t come out with a half-assed effort. If you do, you’re going to get your hat handed to you. Like I said, we were in the game at that particular team. We were making shots at the time, but we weren’t getting any stops. They were just outworking us."
The game was slipping away from the Hornets toward the end of the third, but an unorthadox three-point play early in the fourth put tonight's affair out of reach.
Rudy Fernandez inbounded the ball to Brandon Roy from the baseline. Roy put up a mid-range jumper that rattle around the rim before falling for two, putting Portland up 84-71.
While Roy was taking the shot, Joel Przybilla and James Posey muscled each other for position, with Posey eventually riding Przybilla to the ground for a loose ball foul. Since the foul was committed after the shot, Przybilla was awarded a free-throw, which he made (incidentally, Przybilla went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line). The make put the Trail Blazers up by 14.
