Dec

20

Roy’s 11-Point 4th Quarter Rallies Trail Blazers Past Heat 102-95

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA Game Recap 

Brandon Roy

It seems to me that on most Sundays in the NBA, usually only one team will shoot very well or neither one does. So it was the rare occasion on this Sunday when the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat got together at American Airlines Center. The two teams getting together wasn’t so unusual insomuch as the fact that both teams shot well at or near 50% (Portland at 51.4% while Miami shot a respectable 49.4%) for 48 minutes; Portland, behind a big fourth quarter by Brandon Roy, rallied in the last few minutes to get past Miami 102-95.

The first quarter was truly back-and-forth as there were a pair of lead changes with Miami pulling away slightly in the last minute of the period on an Udonis Haslem jumper and a Dwyane Wade layup allowed the Heat to take a 25-21 lead going into the second quarter. They would build their lead all the way up to nine on a Wade jumper but a 10-4 run by Portland, capped bya Roy jumper, whittled their deficit down to three at halftime.

Quentin Richardson’s fifth 3-pointer of the game put the Heat up 57-51 early in the third quarter, before Portland seemed like it was on the cusp of taking control with the 18-2 run over the next 4 1/2 minutes. With Portland up 69-59 with 4:03 remaining in the third, Miller was called for a flagrant foul when Wade went flying on a drive toward the rim. Wade made both free throws and then a jumper on the resultant possession, kickstarting what became a 17-2 Miami spurt that put the Heat back on top.

Miami scored 10 straight to tie the game at 69, went into the fourth down by two after Aldridge hit a jump hook, and then opened the final quarter with seven straight points, the last of those a running hook from Beasley that gave the Heat a 76-71 lead with 10:03 left in the fourth quarter. A three-point play from Roy, followed by him hitting a straightaway 3-pointer less than a minute later, tied the game at 89. And after Richardson hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night, Webster answered with one from the left corner for another tie, that one with 2:28 left.

It stayed that way until Roy pulled up and hit a jumper with 1:40 remaining, the 11th and final lead change.  And Roy offered the game-decider with 28.7 seconds left, a high-arcing 3-pointer over Wade’s outstretched arm for a 99-92 lead. It stayed that way until Roy pulled up and hit a jumper with 1:40 remaining, the 11th and final lead change.

Roy led all Blazers scorers with 28 points (including 5 three-pointers), 4 rebounds and 8 assists while LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 with 8 rebounds, an assist and a steal; Miller chipped in 17 with a rebound, 4 assists and a steal while Webster poured in 15 (including three treys) with 5 rebounds and an assist.

The Heat was led by Wade with 28 points, 10 assists, a steal and a block while Richardson poured in 22 (including 7 three-pointers) with 4 rebounds, an assist and a steal; Michael Beasley scored 17 with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block. Portland (17-12) plays again on Tuesday when they fly to Dallas to take on the Mavericks while Miami (13-12) remains at home to host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.


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