Basketball Betting

Roy makes surprise return, Blazers even series with Suns

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04/24/2010 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy made a surprise return to the court and LaMarcus Aldridge recorded 31 points and 11 rebounds, as the Portland Trail Blazers evened their Western Conference quarterfinal series with the Phoenix Suns behind a 96-87 Game 4 victory.

Just eight days after undergoing successful surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, Roy suited up and gave the Blazers and the Rose Garden crowd the emotional lift they needed after the club lost the previous two games by a combined 48 points.

"I was going to do all I could to get back on the court," said Roy, who admitted head coach Nate McMillan suggested he wait until Game 5 to return. "I came in today to get a hard workout in. I went to coach again and he said he's fine with [me playing] as long as [team president Paul] Allen and [general manager] Kevin Pritchard were on board. They gave me the thumbs up and I was ready to play."

The All-Star guard played nearly 27 minutes and scored five of his 10 points in the final quarter for Portland, which turned the ball over just seven times. Andre Miller ended with 15 points, eight assists and six boards in the win.

Amare Stoudemire logged 26 points and six boards for the Suns, who connected on just 5-of-16 from the field in a 15-point fourth quarter.

Steve Nash logged 15 points and eight assists, while Jason Richardson, coming off a 42-point effort in Game 3's 108-89 drubbing, scored 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

Game 5 is set for Monday back in Phoenix.

Despite missing 12 straight field goals spanning the third and fourth quarters, Portland never trailed in the final 12 minutes.

Juwan Howard halted the drought with a bank shot for a 78-76 lead with 7 1/2 minutes remaining, and Roy's three-pointer capped a 7-1 spurt a little later for an 85-79 cushion.

A stepback jumper from Roy on the left wing gave the hosts a 91-83 advantage with 2:10 remaining.

Nash answered with a bucket, and after two Nicolas Batum free throws, Roy caused a jump ball on the defensive end. Marcus Camby forced a turnover after the Suns won the tip, leading to a breakaway for Batum, who was sent to the line for two free throws after a flagrant foul on Channing Frye.

The two makes with 1:05 to go gave Portland a 93-85 lead that was too much for the visitors to overcome.

"There were never opportunities for us to attack in the open court," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "We let their defense get set. Although Amare had a big game, we weren't able to really take advantage of getting him the ball in good situations where he could go to the basket and then create shots for guys. At the end of the day we basically played at their pace."

Batum, who was a game-time decision after suffering a shoulder injury in Game 3, had a personal 8-0 run in less than a minute span in the first quarter, with his three-pointer giving the hosts an 18-17 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left.

The opening stanza ended with Jared Dudley's jumper beating the buzzer for a 27-26 Suns lead, and a back-and-forth second frame ended with Portland holding a slim 54-50 edge after a Camby tip-in.

The largest lead for either team in the third quarter was seven, held by the Blazers at 72-65 with 4:06 left. Phoenix eventually tied it before two Miller free throws gave Portland a 74-72 lead heading to the final period.

Game Notes

Grant Hill grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting for the Suns, who shot 6-of-23 from behind the arc...Batum ended with 10 points and seven rebounds, and Jerryd Bayless logged 11 points and six assists for Portland, which outrebounded Phoenix, 45-39 and had 17 second- chance points to the Suns' five...Camby went for eight points and eight rebounds, while Howard added eight and seven in the win.