PORTLAND, ORE -- Brandon Roy put up an astounding 52 points, including a go ahead three-pointer with 1:01 to play in the fourth quarter, to lead the Portland Trail Blazers (17-10) over the Phoenix Suns (15-11) 124-119 in front of 20,650 fans at the Rose Garden Thursday night.
Roy’s 52 points were the second most ever scored by a Trail Blazer, and the most ever scored in a Portland win. The point total is also the most scored by an NBA player in a regulation game this season, and the most points ever scored by a Trail Blazer in front of a home crowd.
Roy, whose previous career-high of 38 was set a week ago against the Los Angeles Clippers, helped the Trail Blazers get off to a quick start. Portland led 31-28 at the end of the first quarter, getting 11 points from their co-captain and All-Star. LaMarcus Aldridge also came hot out of the gate, scoring 10 in the first quarter on 5-of-7 shooting.
Phoenix outscored Portland 38-28 in the second quarter on the strength of their three-point shooters. Suns forward Matt Barnes hit three triples in a row, helping Phoenix to a 66-59 edge at the half.
Portland put up a season best 39 points in the third period, with Roy going for 17 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point line, and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Roy finished the quarter with 38 points for the game, and the Trail Blazer faithful could feel that something historic was on the verge of happening.
With 1:01 left to play in the game and the score knotted at 119-119, Roy pulled up and drilled a three from the wing. The bucket gave Portland the lead and Roy 50 points, bringing the Rose Garden to a fever pitch. On the next Phoenix possession Steven Nash missed a 25-foot three-point attempt, and Roy handled the rebound.
With 34.9 seconds to play, Greg Oden, who played well despite being called for what some would could consider ticky-tack fouls, secured a Travis Outlaw miss, forcing Phoenix to foul. Roy stepped up to the line and secured the win with his 20th and 21st free throws of the night, setting a new franchise record.
“That was a great game to watch,” head coach Nate McMillan said following the game. “We made the transition from being intimidated to being able to stand up well against great teams like this.”
“My confidence was huge tonight,” Roy said. “I just felt like every shot I took was going to go in.” Roy’s 52 points were the second most ever scored by a Trail Blazer, and the most by any NBA player in a regulation game this season. Roy also put up the second most points ever at the Rose Garden.
Outlaw and Steve Blake also contributed mightily to Thursday’s win.
“It wasn’t just Brandon tonight,” McMillan said. “Travis made some big shots, and Steve Blake did a great job throughout the game.”
Outlaw, recovering from a bruised tailbone, scored all 14 of his points in the second half.
Blake tallied 10 straight points in the second quarter, and hit two clutch free throws to tie the game at 117-117 in the fourth quarter. Blake finished with 22 points and 10 assists for his first double-double of the season.
Portland’s victory was their first over the Suns this season, and broke an 11-game drought against Phoenix stretching back to 2006.
The Trail Blazers go on the road Monday for the first game in a home-and-home series against the Denver Nuggets.
NATE MCMILLAN
“That was great to watch. Its like we made the transition from being intimidated to being able to stand up well against great teams like this. Sometimes young teams just get intimidated when they’re facing players like Steve Nash, Stoudemire and Shaq. But you could see we weren’t intimidated. Instead we scrapped defensively and made things happen.
“Brandon is just learning how to continue to be one of the best players in the league. Tonight though, we were talking on the bench. It was like a quite 52 points. You almost expect him to do this night after night. He knows how to take over a game. He’s playing with a very nice rhythm right now. When we drafted him we knew he had this potential but what he has done is to find ways to improve his game and take it to another level. His body language, control and demeanor says a lot about his confidence when he has the ball.
“But it wasn’t just Brandon tonight. I thought we got a good effort from everybody who played. Travis made some big shots in the fourth quarter and Steve Blake did a great job throughout the game, not only shooting the ball (4-7 three pointers), but also in his playmaking (10 assists, no turnovers). Greg Oden also did a nice job in that fourth quarter defensively and snagging a couple of big rebounds. And I thought LaMarcus played really good defense on Stoudemire in the fourth quarter and also hit a crucial shot from the corner as the buzzer was sounding on a busted play.”
BRANDON ROY
About keeping the game ball
“Yeah, I need this one. I haven’t beaten Phoenix since I’ve been in the NBA. This is the best day of my career. A lot of my teammates stepped up tonight. It was a team effort. We needed this win. We proved we’re tough. Phoenix had three days off and they brought it tonight. Shaq was working hard, Nash played well. We outlasted them tonight. I think we showed a lot to ourselves and our fans that we’re a tough team when we come to play for 48 minutes.”
Were you in a ‘zone’ tonight?
“I can’t say the basket was big but my confidence was huge tonight. I just felt like every shot I took was going to go in. My teammates kept feeding my confidence. It was one of those nights you have to ride out. I was like ‘coach! I want to play!’ I said ‘I’m feeling good.’ He said ‘go for it.’
How did you bounce back after losing three in a row?
“This a close team. When he (McMillan) brought me into the office. I said ‘coach, everybody’s fine.’ And I felt confident saying that because we lost two tough games we should have won. Nobody lacked confidence so we came out and proved it against Sacramento (Tuesday) and once more (tonight).
• Brandon Roy notched a career-high 52 points, the second-most points ever scored by a Trail Blazer (Damon Stoudamire, 1/14/05 at New Orleans) and the most points by any NBA player in a regulation game this season … The 52 points are the most scored by any NBA player at the Rose Garden … He had 17 points in the third quarter alone to tie his previous career high of 38 before the fourth quarter began … His 19 free throws made (out of 21) is a franchise record … Roy tallied double digits in scoring in every quarter of the game … Roy tied a career high for three-pointers (five) in a game … Roy has scored 29 points or more in each of the last five games … He is averaging 36.4 during that stretch.
• Steve Blake scored a season-high tying 22 points and now has four games of 20-plus points … He had three such games all of last season … Blake scored 10 consecutive Trail Blazers points in the second quarter, taking Portland from 40 to 50 points ... Blake nabbed his first double-double of the season and a season-high 10 assists ... He tied a career high with four steals.
• Portland snapped an 11-game losing streak in the series with Phoenix, its longest drought against any NBA team entering the game.
• LaMarcus Aldridge has now scored 15-plus points in six straight games.
• Travis Outlaw scored all of his 14 points in the second half.
• The Trail Blazers scored a season-best 124 points and allowed a season-high 119 to Phoenix.
• Portland’s 39 third-quarter points marked a season high for points in any quarter this season ... The Trail Blazers made 14 of 20 (70.0%) shots from the field in the quarter ... Portland’s 65 second-half points are the most it has scored in a half this year.
• Portland committed no turnovers in the third quarter and finished with a season-low tying six in the game ... Phoenix turned the ball over 16 times.
• The Trail Blazers took a lead into the second quarter for the third time in a row after trailing after the first quarter in the six previous games … Portland is 12-2 in games in which it holds a lead after 12 minutes.
• Portland is now 11-3 in games in which it scores 100-plus points.
• The Suns shot a Trail Blazers opponent season-high 56.9% from the floor.
• Phoenix scored a Trail Blazers opponent season-high 66 points in a half (first half) … The Suns’ 38 points in the second frame (13-19 FG) also marked a high for any quarter against Portland this season.
As huge as Brandon Roy was in against the Suns, it wasn't one of his many jaw-dropping plays that put this one away.
As Roy often says, "Don't get it twisted." He carried this team. No doubt about it. But for as baller as he has Thursday night, the daggers came courtesy of Greg Oden and Travis Outlaw.
With 30 seconds left and the Trail Blazers up 122-119, Outlaw took a jumper that could get through the net. But Oden, who could do no right in the eyes of the officials, grabbed the offensive board. Huge.
During the newly-acquired possession, LaMarcus Aldridge also had a jumper that careened out, but this time Outlaw did the work on the glass. T-Law bounced the ball off of Jason Richardson, giving Portland yet another possession with 12 seconds to play.
With the Trail Blazers now able to run out the clock, Richardson has to foul Roy, putting Brandon at the line for his 51st and 52nd points of the night. 124-119. Ball game.
