Portland Trail Blazers: Brandon Roy Shines Like a Star in Win Over Dallas Mavs
A sigh of relief escaped Brandon Roy's mouth when he approached his jubilant teammates at the end of the fourth quarter. Confetti fell from the rafters of the Rose Garden, as the fans' shining star, who was glimmering once again, received his well-deserved celebration.
In his best game since his dual knee surgery, Roy scored 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench, putting the team on his back in the third and fourth quarters to help secure a 104-101 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Tuesday night. Roy did not sit for the entire fourth quarter and scored 15 points in the final 15 minutes of the game.
"It felt good. It felt like old times," said Roy. "I just tried to be aggressive tonight. LaMarcus told me to keep attacking... I just wanted to take a little pressure off of him and make some plays."
Roy hit a fading jumper and two free throws down the stretch in the fourth quarter to help make the Portland lead insurmountable. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line, but even he had to give up the spotlight for Brandon Roy.
"He made some tough shots. He looked like the Brandon Roy of old," Nowitzki said. "If he shoots the ball like that, they've got two legit go-to guys with Aldridge, who is playing phenomenal, and him. They're going to be tough to beat in the playoffs whoever they play."
LaMarcus Aldridge also played with electrifying intensity, leading all scorers with 30 points and eight rebounds. Wes Matthews had 18 points, and Gerald Wallace had eight points and five rebounds in his first start as a Blazer this season. Everything was clicking for Portland in the Rose Garden.
Coming off of a two-game skid, the Trail Blazers needed to regain their composure. And what a way to gain confidence going forward than to come out victorious in a match with definite playoff implications, Dallas being the team they would play in the first round if the Playoffs started today.
Jason Kidd finished with veteran point guard numbers: 14 assists, five rebounds, and one point. Jason Terry scored 14 points off the bench, and Shawn Marion and Rodrigue Beaubois scored 18 and 16 points respectively. But it was Roy's exceptional and timely performance that put the Blazers over the hump and catapulted his team to their 38th win of the season.
"That was the best I've seen him this year," said coach Nate McMillan of Roy. "We've talked to him about his minutes. He's feeling good with the minutes that he's been getting and we need to keep him there. That's working. We haven't had any setbacks."
Rudy Fernandez was also a big reason for the Blazer victory. He scored 12 points in 22 minutes, but his pestering defense will always be something that does not show up on the box score.
"He's a pest, man," said Roy of Fernandez."Rudy came in, I thought he changed the tempo of the game in the second half. Just being a pest on defense, taking them out of their rhythm. He was a big reason we were able to get the lead and hold it down the stretch."
