Some post-game thoughts (Nuggets edition)

And the win streak is now four . . .

• The Blazers have had a number of four game win streaks over the last few years. But I don't remember one as satisfying and improbable as this one.  After losing a game in Orlando that they competed in through three and half quarters, the Blazers have beaten the Heat, the Mavericks, the Spurs, and the Nuggets consecutively, the first three coming on the road and the last three coming without a center on the active roster.  Oh, and they beat the Spurs in San Antonio without Brandon Roy.  Not too shabby.


• After missing the San Antonio game with a shoulder strain, Roy was back tonight, wearing a black spandex brace over his left shoulder.  If the shoulder was bothering him, it wasn't reflected in his game.  Roy was dominant tonight, scoring 25 points in the first half and 41 total.  He played 43 minutes tonight and carried the team through much of the game, but he finally got some help in the fourth quarter.


• In the 4th quarter, the Steve Blake of last season finally showed up.  Blake started raining threes, finishing the night with 17 points on 5 for 7 shooting from beyond the arc.  Thanks to Blake's shooting, the Blazers eventually pulled away from Denver down the stretch.  


• Jerryd Bayless also had a pretty forgettable game until the 4th quarter.  He seemed to be pressing too hard, missing most of his outside shots and, on several occasions, driving wildly into the paint and getting swatted by Birdman.  In the fourth, though, Bayless started making better decisions, got a couple key buckets on drives to the hoop and made a number of good passes.  He finished with 9 points and 7 assists on 2-10 shooting.


• Andre Miller had a pretty solid game, especially in the third quarter.  He was hitting from midrange and making nice entry passes for some easy buckets.  He finished with 14 points and 8 assists on 5-9 shooting.  Given how well he was playing, I was surprised Nate stuck with Bayless down the stretch.  Miller probably deserved to be in at the end of this one.  


• Martell Webster also had a decent game.  He finished with 11 points and hit 3 of his 5 three point shots.  More importantly, though, he had a really good stretch in the third quarter where he scored 8 quick points and really got in Carmelo Anthony's head on defense, causing Melo to pick up his third and fourth fouls in quick succession.  


• Juwan Howard and Jeff Pendergraph played decently at the center position, getting 6 points and 13 boards between them.  


• Lamarcus Aldridge had a quiet offensive night, scoring only 10 points on 5-10 shooting, but he played 45 minutes and grabbed 13 boards.  The Blazers just didn't seem to be looking for him much on offense. 


• Alrdridge, Howard, and Pendergraph were the only bigs who saw playing time tonight.  Neither Cunningham nor Tolliver made an appearance.  I'm not sure how sustainable a rotation that is.  It's hard to believe that Aldridge and Howard can keep playing this many minutes.  And Pendergraph is still trying to play his way back into shape.  At some point, Nate is going to have to give Tolliver and Cunningham some more run.


• Somehow the Blazers scored 107 points tonight while getting only 1 fast break point.  That's hard to do.


• Overall, this was another solid showing by an injury-depleted team competing against a very talented and dangerous Denver squad.  I've never been more proud of this team.