Mon 17 Dec 2007
Trail Blazers Win Seventh Straight, Beat Nuggets 116-105
Posted by Stephen Rhodes under Main
Playing on the road seems to agree with the Portland Trail Blazers these days. Blazers swingman Brandon Roy led Portland to an impressive 116-105 win over the Denver Nuggets at Denver Sunday. Portland led the first quarter 30-25; they managed to make 58% of their shots in the first half and continued their hot shooting going into the third quarter.Portland would go on an 11-0 run - capped by guard Steve Blake’s 3-pointer - to extend their lead over Denver to 72-52 with 8:22 left in the 3rd. Denver trailed by as many as 21 before closing the gap in the fourth quarter; Denver’s Allen Iverson scored 16 points in the quarter, which included a 3-pointer, that cut Portland’s lead to 103-91 with 6:39 remaining in the game. The Blazers would respond with a surge of their own; Roy hit 2 layups and forward Travis Outlaw hit a couple of jumpers to increase their lead to 115-97 - a lead they wouldn’t give up.
Portland was led by Roy with 26 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists; Channing Frye added 20 and 9 rebounds. Outlaw chipped in with 17 from off the bench. Denver’s leading scorer was Iverson with 38 points, while Carmelo Anthony added 19; Kelvin Martin pitched in with 14. Portland (12-12), winners of 7 straight, returns home to host the New Orleans Hornets Monday night. Denver (14-10) stays home to host the Houston Rockets Thursday.
