Portland wins third road game
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- When Brad Miller stepped behind the 3-point line
and hit a wide-open shot to force overtime, the Portland Trail Blazers had
every excuse to give up on another road game.
"I thought we were cursed," guard Jeff McInnis said.
Perhaps that curse finally was broke in a 109-104 victory over the
Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.
Derek Anderson scored all 12 of the Blazers' points in overtime, finishing
with a season-high 29 as Portland somehow bounced back from the Kings' 13-
4 rally in the final 46.9 seconds of regulation.
After Miller tied it with 2.7 seconds left, Anderson held the Blazers
together in overtime for their third road win in 19 games.
"I've been in close games, but I've never been through that," Anderson
said. "I turned it over, we missed free throws, they get three-point foul
shots. ... But the guys just stayed the course. We kept fighting and kept
fighting. It just goes to show you what you can do when you just stay
together mentally at the end of a game."
This game will go down as one of the most surprising results of the NBA
season, the team with the league's worst road record beating the team with
the best home record.
Rasheed Wallace had 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for Portland,
which took the lead for good in OT on Anderson's early 3-pointer and hung
on with his free throws and jumpers.
Two days after a loss at Phoenix that made coach Maurice Cheeks cry, the
Blazers shook off trade rumors, road woes and team discontent.
"I don't know how to explain that one," Cheeks said. "It was a heck of a
game for us for the first 47 minutes, and then they made a miraculous
comeback. ... But I give our guys a lot of credit. We've been in that
situation before.
"We had a couple of games won, and we kind of dropped our heads. This
particular game, we did not. I would not let them drop their heads this
time. We came out and made the plays."
Portland held Sacramento to its worst shooting game of the season -- 32.9
percent -- while beating the Kings in overtime for the second time this
season. The Blazers also snapped a five-game losing streak and ended the
Kings' five-game winning streak.
Peja Stojakovic scored 34 points despite missing eight straight shots at
one point for the Kings, who fell to 21-3 at Arco Arena. Mike Bibby scored
just 10 points, missing his final seven shots in the Kings' final home
game before a six-game road trip.
"Our energy wasn't there tonight," Stojakovic said. "Most of the problems
were on the defensive end, but we were still in a spot where we could have
won the game. I had a lot of good looks and open 3s, but they just weren't
going down."
Wallace fouled out early in overtime -- as did Miller, who had 14 points
and eight rebounds, and Bobby Jackson, who had season-highs of 29 points
and 10 rebounds.
"We didn't do anything the way we were supposed to," Jackson said. "We were
lucky to have a chance to win after the way we played for the first three
quarters or so, and then we couldn't get it done. Hopefully we'll remember
how this one feels."
Well before the exciting finish, Portland repeatedly exposed the defensive
weaknesses that could be the Kings' biggest obstacle to a title run.
Sacramento couldn't keep up with the Blazers' fast break, while Wallace
and Zach Randolph outrebounded and overpowered the Kings' big-man tandem
of Vlade Divac and Miller.
Randolph had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who joined
Minnesota and Dallas as the only opponents to win in Sacramento this
season. The Timberwolves also went to overtime for their victory.
The Kings trailed 93-84 with 50 seconds left in regulation, but Stojakovic
scored six quick points. After a lengthy exchange of free throws, the
Blazers inexplicably left Miller unguarded at the top of the arc.
Sacramento had all the momentum, particularly after Wallace fouled out --
but Anderson went 4-for-5 and made three free throws in overtime while the
Kings missed the few open shots they got.
Game notes
Anderson missed 29 of the Blazers' first 37 games with a bulging disc in
his back, and he has participated in just one practice since returning.
... The Kings had just 19 assists -- one better than their season-low in
their home loss to Minnesota in December. ... Wallace got a technical
foul after his disqualification. ... McInnis was out of the starting
lineup again, but he played 26 minutes and scored nine points after
being benched last Sunday. McInnis reportedly was unhappy with his
playing time, and Cheeks didn't like his body language.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=240120023
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雖然今天輸球，不過最後一分鐘我覺得已經看得很過癮了 XD
大家年夜飯開心吃啊 :) Happy New Year :)
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