Roy, Durant Locked In Epic Scoring DuelPreview |
Box Score |
Recap
Kevin Durant and Brandon Roy; there could only be one winner5 May, 2011SEATTLE (AP) – No one could have predicted that
Kevin Durant and
Brandon Roy were going to put on the kind of show that they put on for Game Three of the Seattle Stealth and Portland Trailblazers second round series. Durant and Roy put on a performance for the ages; a feat that many do not expect to be repeated for a while.
Roy scored 53 points and won the individual scoring battle against nemesis Durant. However, even though Durant scored 1 point less than Roy, he also grabbed 10 rebounds while willing his team to victory.
Both teams needed every single one of their stars’ points as the most of the other players seemed to struggle for much of the night.
Ben Gordon and
Steve Nash were both cold for most of the game while the Stealth were missing key forwards
David Lee and
Rasheed Wallace; resulting in less of a scoring punch down low and
Andrew Bogut struggling against
Greg Oden and
Carlos Boozer.
Durant, the NBA’s leading scorer, was only a single point off of his season high. It was not surprising to see him have the type of game that he conjured however no one could have foresaw Roy’s big night. The Blazers guard’s previous career high was 39 points. The 5 year pro easily eclipsed that mark; it included an amazing 28 point fourth quarter.
Blazers’ coach Nate McMillan was gushing in his post game interview, “Wow. I don’t have any words to explain this. Just wow. Brandon Roy stood up to the best player in the NBA and matched him pound for pound. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Someone pinch me and tell me that just happened.” McMillan didn’t even seem bothered that his team lost the game, “This was such a special night that I’ve forgotten about us dropping the game. I guess I could be more disappointed but I’m still shocked over what happened. Wow.”
Roy laughed off suggestions that he was going to pick up more of the scoring load, “I did it out of necessity tonight. I had to step up to carry the team. We play good with our philosophy of balanced scoring so I’m not going to ruin that. No way.” Durant praised Roy after the game as well, “I gained a whole lot more respect for him but this does not give Portland a free pass to the next round. We’re back in it and I’m going to lead my team baby.”
The scoring duel between Roy and Durant has to rank right up there with the likes of the feats of Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins in 1988 and
LeBron James and
Paul Pierce in 2008. The only knock against Roy and Durant is that the latter two feats came in Game Seven’s and with more on the line. However, George Karl argued that a lot was at stake last night, “If we had lost, we would be down 3-0 and the series would certainly be over. There was a lot at stake. I think this is going down as a classic and will be watched over and over again in the future. This was exciting.”
Seattle jumped to another early lead, courtesy of
Jason Kidd. Kidd came out aggressive and opened the game with a jumper. He went on to score another bucket and set up the other two only baskets of the game. After Seattle took an 8-0 lead, thanks to Bogut’s dunk in the opening stages of the game; Portland called a timeout. Seattle would jump to a 12-0 lead before Portland chipped away at their lead as well as playing stifling defense.
The second quarter was when it got interesting as Roy and Durant began their scoring race. Both of them combined to make nine consecutive baskets for one stretch of the game. Highlights of that stretch included a Roy dunk in traffic and a Durant fade away after backing down Roy. Both players kept the game close as they each scored 12 points apiece in the second quarter. Roy finished with 21 first half points and Durant had recorded 18 by the half.
Seattle took a lead in the third quarter thanks to two big three pointers from
Raja Bell. Bell hit the second of his triples from afar and that got the crowd on their feet. Seattle rode that momentum despite Kidd picking up an early fourth personal foul; forcing him to the bench. Durant continued his hot form with 12 third quarter points and led his team to a 24-16 third quarter.
The fourth quarter was breathtaking as all but a handful of buckets was scored by the brilliant Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant. Roy scored 28 of his team’s 33 points while Durant added 22 of the Stealth’s 33 points. Durant only played a little more than half of the final period. Seattle was able to hold onto the game despite Roy leading the Blazers back into it by instigating an early 14-2 run to start the final quarter. The Blazers held a slim lead for a little while before Durant came back onto the court. The NBA scoring leader kept the Blazers at bay by matching Roy’s best efforts with the game on the line.
“That was the best game I have played all season,” Durant said, generous with his praise, “Brandon Roy helped bring out the best in me. I never admit (expletive) like this.”
Notes: Injured
David Lee was able to play for a short while in the third quarter. He finished with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists. Lee’s replacement
Chris Wilcox in the starting five was solid with 12 points, 8 rebounds… With less than 10 seconds left, Portland called a timeout to try and set up Roy with a shot that would have pushed his new career high even further. Durant forced him into a tough shot and after grabbing the rebound, Andrew Bogut called a timeout with just less than 3 second remaining. Durant caught the ball on the low block and the crowd made a collective ‘ooh’ as the ball rolled off the rim… The Blazers hold a 2-1 lead but the Stealth are confident that they can win again on their home court in Game 4…
Stats At A Glance wrote:Quarter-by-Quarter Team Score
Portland Trailblazers (Away) 18 – 24 – 16 – 33 – 91
Seattle Stealth (Home) 20 – 24 – 24 – 34 – 102
Jordan Player of the Game
Kevin Durant
52 Points
10 Rebounds
3 Assists
2 Steals
1 Block
23-33 FG
1-4 3PT
5-8 FT
Key Performers
Portland Trailblazers
B Roy 53 pt, 2 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 21-35 FG, 0-4 3PT, 11-13 FT
S Nash 12 pt, 3 ast, 3-9 FG, 2-7 3PT, 4-7 FT
G Oden 10 pt, 12 reb, 6 blk, 5-6 FG
C Boozer 8 pt, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 4-6 FG, 0-2 3PT
B Gordon 6 pt, 4 reb, 2 ast, 3-10 FG, 0-5 3PT
Seattle Stealth (Trail Series 1-2)
R Bell 13 pt, 5-11 FG, 3-7 3PT
C Wilcox 12 pt, 8 reb, 2 ast, 6-11 FG
T Ariza 10 pt, 4-10 FG, 0-3 3PT, 2-6 FT
A Bogut 7 pt, 4 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk, 3-10 FG, 1-1 FT
J Kidd 6 pt, 4 reb, 13 ast, 3 stl, 3-10 FG, 0-2 3PT