Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers host the Phoenix Suns. Today, December 7th, is a date which will live in infamy: Andre Miller's consecutive games played streak is coming to an end at a whopping 632. Miller earned a single game suspension after pretending to be a one-man wrecking ball against Blake Griffin. Nicolas Batum will the get the start in Miller's absence, giving Portland three guards—none of them of the point variety—starting the game tonight.
Bummer. Patty Mills was this close to being able to tell his future grandchildren he once started an NBA game.
These Phoenix Suns are not the same team that bounced the Blazers from the playoffs last year, mostly due to the fact that their main interior presence, Amar'e Stoudemire, bolted to New York to play alongside LeBron James Raymond Felton. And while opinions on Stoudemire may vary, he is without question infinitely better than pizza loving, former almost-Blazer Hedo Turkoglu, the man the Suns got to replace him.
But hey, what do I know? The Suns are currently 11-9, riding a three game winning streak, and are two games ahead of the Blazers for the eighth playoff spot in the West.
PRE-GAME:
For as bad as the Suns looked when these teams met way back on October 26th—you know, back when the Blazers were looking like they might be the second best team in the West—they have figured out how to make it work. Mainly, Steve Nash is still Steve Nash and Jason Richardson is having a career year at the ripe old age of twenty-nine.
Speaking of Richardson, hopefully the Blazers remember this, because it would probably be a good idea for them to, you know, not let him shoot open threes.
Hey, look, it's Channing Frye! He thinks Portland is full of hippies and oats. At least he gets it. Not like Steve Nash, who mentioned he was in Portland drinking tea on Twitter. The outrage! Doesn't he know this is the coffee semi-capital of the world?!
FIRST QUARTER:
11:45 - Well, that was a quick three by Wesley Matthews! I predict the Blazers are going to shut out the Suns tonight. That's possible, right? 3-0 Blazers.
10:39 - Dang, two free throws from Earl Barron. This is why I am not a betting man. 3-2 Blazers.
9:30 - Steve Nash is guarding Nicolas Batum—this is a matchup that the Blazers would do well to exploit. The reverse to that is that Brandon Roy is stuck guarding Steve Nash. Even Roy with two good knees can't keep up with Nash. 5-5 Tie.
7:31 - Batum just picked up his second quick foul guarding Steve Nash. I'll let you guess which one of these two players is a two-time MVP. 11-10 Blazers.
6:09 - Brandon Roy just showed a flash of his old '08-09 self, splitting a double team and picking up the and one. That was great to see. That might be the first vintage Roy play of the year. 14-13 Blazers.
4:42 - Patty Mills just picked up a foul trying to guard Steve Nash, who was pulling Patty's jersey as he made his move. I'll pose the question again: which one of these two players is a two-time MVP? Also, there's an extra amount of blood on the court tonight. That's the second official's timeout for bleeding purposes, and this crowd is booing loudly. I guess they're all Twilight fans? 18-17 Blazers.
2:31 - After a quick jumper, Brandon Roy has nine points in this game. He's much more active, and really seems to have an extra spring in his step. Maybe someone found an extra jar of meniscus lying around before the game? 22-21 Blazers.
0:03 - Patty Mills with a slick pass in the last seconds of the first quarter to a cutting Rudy Fernandez, who finished with a reverse layup and picked up the and one on Hedo Turkoglu. The Patty-Rudy connection needs a nickname, stat. 29-23 Blazers.
SECOND QUARTER:
11;03 - Alvin Gentry just called a quick timeout, and was hopping mad at something. Maybe he was offended at how utterly white the Rudy Fernandez on Goran Dragic matchup is?
9:18 - Rudy with back to back threes from the same exact spot on the court, both from passes by Patty Mills. Seriously, nickname time. The Spaussie Connection? Aussie Takes with Rudy Cakes? 37-30 Blazers.
6:11 - Josh Childress just had an incredibly ugly travel called on him. How can someone with hair so great do something so ugly? I thought perfect hair meant you could do no wrong. How else can you explain Justin Bieber? 43-34 Blazers.
5:42 - Steve Nash just got called for an offensive foul! On rookie Armon Johnson! Take that, you tea loving hippie! 43-34 Blazers.
3:50 - Armon Johnson may be Steve Nash's kryptonite. After that offensive foul, he's hounded Nash into a few bad plays, and torched him on the other end with multiple assists off the dribble to cutting Blazers. 49-37 Blazers.
1:40 - Patty Mills, I like you, but you cannot guard Nash. He's currently putting on a show, chipping away at the lead with nothing but crossovers and soft hair. Bring back Armon. 49-43 Blazers.
0:00 - And just like that, after a 10-2 run, the Suns are back in this one. 51-47 Blazers.
THIRD QUARTER:
11:00 - That didn't take long. 51-51 Tie.
10:33 - Nor did that. 53-51 Suns.
9:24 - Wesley Matthews just stole the ball, and was tripped up by Richardson in transition. He hit the ground awkwardly and hard. Anytime a Blazer player hits the ground, the city goes on suicide watch. 54-53 Blazers.
7:01 - Camby and Matthews with a beautiful give and go for an easy bucket. Matthews followed it up with a three from the corner. I'm glad he's a Blazer. 61-58 Blazers.
4:43 - After multiple missed jump shots (hey, Portland, remember that sweet give and go from the 7:01 mark? More of that, please.) Roy gets to the line to get points the easy way. And I'm pretty sure I just heard someone yell "We love you, Turkoglu!!" That person should be kicked out of the Rose Garden. 63-63 Tie.
1:19 - Three people just cheered when Turkoglu picked up his first foul. I applaud you, three people cheering! Roy hits both the free throws, giving him 15 on the night. 70-69 Suns.
0:28 - Jared Dudley with five quick points, and Phoenix is pulling away a bit. It's the curse of the second half—I think I've seen this one before, and if I remember correctly, it ends terribly. 75-69 Suns.
FOURTH QUARTER:
11:30 - Another Dudley three-pointer. Yep, it must be the second half. 78-69 Suns.
10:52 - Nicolas Batum has been struggling all night, but he had no trouble knocking down that three pointer! Maybe there's some life in this team yet! 79-75 Suns.
9:32 - Wesley Matthews bails out Patty Mills—who coughed the ball up on a Jerryd Bayless like drive and kick to the wrong team—by picking up the charge on the other end in transition. LaMarcus Aldridge follows that with a long jumper. 79-79 Tie.
7:57 - Wesley Matthews (how many times have I mentioned that name tonight? Twenty-eight?) with the three to give the Blazers the lead. He is everywhere tonight, keeping Portland close in this game. 82-81 Blazers.
5:49 - The Blazers are going small, with Aldridge at center and Batum at power forward. No matter. LaMarcus just emphatically rejected Jared Dudley, resulting in a 24 second shot clock violation. Rudy finds Roy on the other end for an open three. Blazers lead! 87-85 Blazers.
3:47 - Aldridge blocks another shot, this time from Steve Nash, and the result is another 24 second violation. This small ball lineup is working some serious magic right now. 91-89 Blazers.
3:25 - Matthews forces Nash into another turnover—he's been playing him on defense in this lineup and doing a stellar job—and picks up the foul on Nash in the process. Both free throws down. On the other end, Channing Frye tries to go for the tomahawk jam, but was called for an offensive foul, his sixth of the game. Bye bye, Frye. 93-89 Blazers.
1:38 - Batum for three! Batum for three! The Phoenix offense is stalling, and Portland is taking advantage. 96-89 Blazers.
0:42 - Brandon Roy strips Nash, which results in a fast break. Batum tries to throw the lob to Aldridge, who misses but is fouled. Two free throws, both good. The Blazers look like the might just pull this one out. 98-90 Blazers.
0:38 - Hedo for three. Uh oh. Jared Dudley fouls Brandon Roy quickly, who does Bill Schonely proud and makes both his free throws. 100-93 Blazers.
0:32 - Grant Hill connects from distance. The refs ruled it a two, but take the time to review the play anyway. Ruling stands, it's a two. 100-95 Blazers.
0:25 - Aldridge fouled, but he promptly makes both free throws. Nash explodes quickly on the other end for a lay in. Another foul on Aldridge, who makes both free throws again. This game is over, and the fans are flooding towards the exits. 104-97 Blazers.
0:00 - Alright, that's it folks! The Blazers are on a two game winning streak! Matthews finishes with twenty-four points, while Roy and Aldridge both chipped in twenty. Join us again on Thursday when the Blazers host the Magic and try to keep the streak alive!
FINAL SCORE: 106-99 Blazers.
