Brandon Roy scored 30 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a 96-84 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
The Trail Blazers finished their five-game road trip with a 3-2 mark and some momentum as they look to move up from their seventh spot in the Western Conference playoff scramble.
“I thought it was a mental challenge tonight,” said head coach Nate McMillan. “I hope this is just a sign of us growing up. It was a long road trip with some tough battles. Milwaukee came out tonight very aggressive and tried to take advantage of the fact that we’ve been on the road.”
Steve Blake added 21 and tied his season high with six 3-pointers as Portland, playing its fifth game in seven nights, came alive in the second half.
“When you’re missing shots, you can either put your head down or keep playing hard,” said Blake, “so I did that. Brandon (Roy) was able to create and I shot the ball with confidence.”
Travis Outlaw, playing for the injured Nicolas Batum, scored 17 for Portland.
Charlie Villanueva scored 26 points for Milwaukee, which finished a six-game homestand with a 2-4 mark.
Trailing 43-39 at halftime, the Blazers opened the third quarter with a 23-8 run, sparked by Blake's three 3-pointers and runner in the lane.
Blake's first 3 gave the Blazers their first lead of the game at 46-43, and it came after Przybilla hustled down the court and blocked Ramon Sessions' fast-break layup.
“They reached down deep,” said McMillan. “We got stronger, got better, we got our rhythm. We won this game by working harder. They worked hard but we had to work harder. We ended up scoring 57 points in the second half and stopping them.”
Outlaw grabbed a miss by LaMarcus Aldridge and slammed it home as Portland led 69-60 after three.
The Bucks cut it to 69-64 on a steal and layup by Keith Bogans. Bogans thought he was fouled on the play, but all his complaining got him was a technical. Rudy Fernandez made that free throw and then swished a 3-pointer from the corner to put Portland up 73-64 early in the fourth. The closest Milwaukee got was five the rest of the way. The win was Portland’s fifth straight against the Bucks and swept the season series.
Portland, out of the postseason since 2002-03, has allowed 100 or more points just three times in its last 18 games.
Aldridge was back at starting forward after missing his first game of the season, Thursday's 97-92 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He suffered a concussion in the Blazers' 95-85 win over Indiana on Wednesday night.
Aldridge, in his first game since suffering a concussion versus the Pacers, scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Przybilla led the Blazers with 14 rebounds and two blocks, moving him past Bill Walton for fifth on the Portland all-time blocks leaders.
“We showed a lot of character tonight,” said Przybilla. “In the first half, we weren’t playing that well. It was the last game on a road trip and sometimes those are the toughest games. We showed some heart and came out and got a big win for us.”
Roy has scored 20-plus points in 12 straight contests. That streak sets a career high and is the second-longest active streak behind Dirk Nowitzki (13). Saturday’s win was the 12th game of the season Roy finished with 30 or more points.
The Trail Blazers return home to take on the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
