Blake-Miller combo pays dividends with triumph over Spurs
PORTLAND — The Portland Trail Blazers had a new spark.
There was energy, movement and excitement. And at times, the ball buzzed around as if on an electrical current.
A game-time decision by coach Nate McMillan to team up point guards Steve Blake and Andre Miller in Portland’s starting lineup might have been unorthodox.
But it also worked.
And the newly re-energized Blazers held on to knock off the San Antonio Spurs 96-84 Friday evening at the Rose Garden before a sellout crowd of 20,498.
“I felt like we hadn’t played well, even though we had two wins,” McMillan said. “Tonight, I felt like we had a good rhythm. The offensive execution, the movement was better. We got the tempo we wanted.”
Brandon Roy scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Blazers (3-3), while Greg Oden played his best basketball of the early season as he contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Blake (15 points) and Miller (10 points) each hit double figures for Portland.
“I think we definitely played really well,” Blake said. “It was fun to get out there and run the floor.”
Richard Jefferson recorded a team-high 19 points to top the Spurs (2-3). Manu Ginobili added 17 points and Tim Duncan contributed 14.
The Spurs rallied from a 29-14 first-quarter deficit to pull within 87-82 with 1 minute, 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
But strong free-throw shooting from Portland’s starting three guards — Miller, Blake and Roy — cut off San Antonio.
Portland shot 90 percent (27 of 30) from the free-throw line and outrebounded the Spurs 48-37. The Blazers also held San Antonio to 38 percent (30 of 79) shooting from the field.
“Portland played better for more minutes,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We didn’t play for a quarter and they played for 48. So, they ended up winning the game.”
McMillan’s experiment worked to perfection at the start, and the Blazers jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead.
Portland looked faster, more alert and more energized from the opening tip, and Popovich called a 20-second timeout just 44 seconds into the game in an attempt to counter the Blazers’ two point-guard system.
Portland’s new lineup took a minor hit when Oden picked up his second foul at the 8:03 mark in the first period.
But the Blazers bounced right back and showed no let up.
Portland closed the first quarter on a 13-2 run, and a windmill-style putback slam dunk by Martell Webster with 1 second left in the period gave the Blazers a 29-14 first-quarter lead.
Miller showed the most spark, but Roy and Blake also benefited. And the insertion of second-year guard Jerryd Bayless added more fire to a Portland team that looked everything like last season’s 54-win squad, and nothing like the one that struggled and slogged through the first five games of this season.
“It was a change of pace,” Roy said. “Maybe something we needed.”
By the second half, the Blazers were not just relying on speed and energy, though. Portland turned to a multi-faceted weapon many thought the team would utilize as soon as the regular season began: The Blazers began to punish the Spurs by taking advantage of mismatches.
LaMarcus Aldridge posted up and put down San Antonio center Matt Bonner, while Oden displayed some of his best offensive moves of the season as he went head-to-head with Duncan.
“(Oden) showed signs at some points in the game where he could be unstoppable if he just keeps working on his game,” Spurs forward Antonio McDyess said. “He gets so deep in the post it’s like you can’t do nothing with him.”
A Ginobili-led rally pulled San Antonio within 80-75 late in the final period.
But Roy and Oden held strong and delivered.
As Roy created space and knocked down jumpers, Oden dominated the paint.
A swished 3 by Blake from the left wing with 2:33 to go then made it 83-77 Portland.
“Games like this you want to take and build off of it,” McMillan said.
