 |
| Author |
Message |
BlazerFan1
|
|
Post subject: Blazers 98, Nuggets 96 - Preseason Play
 Posted: Oct 19, 2009 - 03:08 AM PST
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: Apr 18, 2005
Posts: 132
  
Status: Offline
|
|
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. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Register
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
Sub-Category
