Although tonight’s game between the Trail Blazers(3-3) and Nuggets(2-3) was considered just another preseason game, the Rose Garden crowd was treated to a game of high energy and tremendous individual performances. Behind a furious fourth quarter rally, which was led by a dominant Greg Oden, the Trail Blazers were able to emerge with a 98-96 victory over their Northwest division rival.
Despite being plagued by foul trouble throughout the first three quarters, Oden stole the show with an inspiring late game performance. In the final quarter alone, Oden scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in helping to lead the rally. One of the most encouraging aspects of the rally was the determination and intensity that Oden and his teammates showed.
“We just went on a run. Guys’ shots started falling,” Oden said of the rally. “You know, shots weren’t really falling that well, but when the shots started falling, the intensity started going up. There was one timeout when coach just told us there was a lot of time left and we could get it back. I think we did that.”
After calling for more intensity on both ends of the court following some lackluster performances in previous games, head coach Nate McMillan was clearly pleased to see the great motivation and effort level during the fourth quarter comeback
“What I really liked from our guys tonight was we were down 10 in the fourth and I remember during the timeout saying ‘get your heads up’ and we come back and we win that game,” McMillan remarked. “We’ve been in that situation before. It’s something to build off of where you’re never out of a game.”
While Oden was huge during the fourth quarter, it was the performance of Andre Miller that helped keep Portland in striking distance until the end. Miller played a game high 38 minutes, both at the point guard position, and also playing off the ball while Brandon Roy battled foul trouble. Although Miller only shot 5/18 from the field, he was solid finishing at the rim, and showed his versatility by dishing out four assists and pulling down five rebounds.
Juwan Howard, starting in place of LaMarcus Aldridge, finishing with ten points, five rebounds three assists and two steals before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Guards Steve Blake and Jerryd Bayless added eight and 11 points, respectively.
Carmelo Anthony played terrific in only 28 minutes for the Nuggets, as the All-NBA forward scored a game high 21 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Nuggets head coach George Karl was able to take away some positives from the game, but also knows that the time to find that consistency is quickly shrinking.
“There were a lot of good things for us,” Karl said after the loss. “We played the game in the fourth quarter totally differently than we would in a regular season game. It’s time to probably polish up our act and start the season.”
The Trail Blazers return to action on Tuesday night when they host the Utah Jazz at the Rose Garden. The game, which tips at 7:00 PST, will be the final home game for the Trail Blazers this preseason. After the game against Utah, the team will close out the preseason against Phoenix.
NATE MCMILLAN
“I thought the entire game we were better. We picked up our intensity. The focus was there. The defensive pressure, working, was better. Offensively we were running some plays and getting a little better execution. From the start it was there. What I really liked from our guys tonight was we were down 10 in the fourth and I remember during the timeout saying ‘get your heads up’ and we come back and we win that game. We’ve been in that situation before last year. It’s something to build off of where you’re never out of a game. With seven minutes to go we were down 10 and the momentum had swung. But we started to get stops and started to score and came back and won the game.
“I’m pretty much ready for the start of the season. I won’t talk about who I’m going to go with but those guys that played tonight, we went back and forth with combinations and I was rotating according to the game and what they were doing. Andre ended up playing 30-plus minutes tonight. He had somewhat of a rhythm going so we stayed there but different nights we could change. I thought Bayless gave us something good coming off the bench. Joel coming off the bench was good.
BRANDON ROY
“The fouls both ways slowed the game down but I thought the energy was good. I just liked how the guys continued to fight through. Even late when we got down and coach said keep your heads up and guys came out and responded. I was impressed by that. For me it was good to play in that fourth quarter and play in a game that felt meaningful. It was good for me to get a rhythm and I was happy that coach put me back in.”
“I think first it was our defense and then it was Greg being aggressive inside. He was making good moves, strong moves to the rim and just a number of guys were playing with energy. Again, our crowd did a great job.”
GREG ODEN
On the fourth quarter run “We just went on a run. Guys’ shots started falling, you know shots weren’t really falling that well, but when the shots started falling, the intensity started going up. There was one timeout when coach just told us there was a lot of time left and we could get it back. I think we did that.
GEORGE KARL
“We just went on a run. Guys’ shots started falling, you know shots weren’t really falling that well, but when the shots started falling, the intensity started going up. There was one timeout when coach just told us there was a lot of time left and we could get it back. I think we did that.
• Trail Blazers used a 22-5 run to turn a 72-84 fourth-quarter deficit (8:23) into a 94-89 advantage (1:57).
• Portland has pulled in more offensive rebounds and total rebounds than its opponents in five consecutive games … In the preseason, the Trail Blazers have amassed an 87-61 advantage in offensive rebounds.
• Each of Portland’s last three games has been decided by six points or less.
• With wins in each of their final two preseason games, the Trail Blazers can complete a winning record in the exhibition season for the third straight year for the first time since 1997-99.
• Portland snapped its three-game losing streak with tonight’s win, the longest by the Trail Blazers in a preseason since 2006.
• Greg Oden led all players with 12 points (4-5 FG) and six rebounds in the fourth quarter … Oden leads the team this preseason in rebounding (9.7) and blocks (1.25), while ranking second in scoring (14.2).
• Denver had won four straight preseason matchups vs. Portland before tonight, dating back to 2000 ... Portland broke the tie in the all-time preseason series between the teams and now holds a 9-8 edge in 17 preseason meetings.
• Portland had taken more free throw shots than its opponents in every preseason game before tonight.
• The Trail Blazers had not blocked more shots than their opponent in a game this preseason before earning an 11-4 advantage in the category tonight.
• Joel Przybilla’s game-high four blocks are the most by a Trail Blazer in a game this preseason.
• Andre Miller is the only Trail Blazer to score in double figures in all six preseason games ... His 18 shots tonight are the most taken by any Trail Blazer in a game this preseason.
• Brandon Roy leads the team with 4.4 assists per game … He has recorded four assists or more in all five of his preseason appearances.
• Denver had only two more turnovers than Portland (17-15), but the Trail Blazers held a 23-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
• In the first quarter, the Nuggets made nearly four times as many foul shots (15-18) as field goals (4-13).
• Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 21 points … Anthony led all scorers with 16 first-half points ... His 22.6 points per game lead all NBA players in the preseason.
