Trail Blazers vs Kings Tuesday, 12/15/09 AT 07:00PM

Roy and Aldridge lead Trail Blazers to victory

12/15/09

  1. Written by: Max Mandel

    With the Sacramento Kings (10-13) jumping out to a 54-43 halftime advantage, it seemed like the Portland Trail Blazers (15-11) just didn't have the energy and execution in their first game since the difficult four-game road trip. However, this resilient and gutty Trail Blazers squad used a tremendous fourth quarter rally to pull off the crucial 95-88 victory.

    The Trail Blazers continued their recent run of success against Sacramento, with this being the fourth consecutive victory over the Kings. In his return to Portland, Sergio Rodriguez came off the bench to score two points and dish out two assists for the Kings.

    After a tough first half, which saw Portland get out hustled by the Kings, Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan demanded more toughness from his team. Both Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge responded in the second half, as the two stars led their team to the win. Aldridge displayed tremendous aggressiveness, scoring 19 of his team-high 25 points in the second half and grabbing nine boards. After the game, McMillan remarked on how impressed he was by Aldridge rising to his challenge.

    "In the second half there was a challenge to LaMarcus-we're going to go through you, and I thought he responded," McMillan explained after the win. "He had one rebound in the first half and he ended up with nine. Offensively, he got us that momentum."

    Although he came out and scored 15 points in the first half, Roy really made his mark with the versatility he demonstrated in the final half. While Roy ended the game with 25 points of his own, his ability to find his open teammates allowed for him to dish out a season-high 10 assists. Roy also displayed great effort on the defensive end, doing an excellent job of slowing down the explosive Tyreke Evans in the closing minutes.

    With Andre Miller moving to the starting lineup, there might have been some worry that the move would hurt the production from the bench. Thanks to an aggressive performance by Jerryd Bayless, that was not the case. Bayless scored 10 of his 14 points in the final quarter, and routinely drew fouls when he attacked the rim. After the game, Bayless emphasized the importance of being aggressive when he is given this kind of opportunity.

    "I was just trying to do my best to help this team," Bayless said of his performance. "I just try to do my best every night that I get the opportunity and hopefully I can continue to do it."

    Evans and Jason Thompson led the way for the Kings in the loss. The impressive rookie guard from Memphis scored 19 points and grabbed seven boards. Thompson, who continues to build off his solid rookie season, scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Beno Udrih provided a nice spark off the bench, scoring 17 points and dishing out five assists.

    The Trail Blazers return to action on Thursday night when they host the Phoenix Suns at the Rose Garden. Opening tip is scheduled for 7:30 PST.
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