PORTLAND, Ore. — Steve Blake is the Blitzen of the Trail Blazers.
But on Christmas night, the reliable reserve erupted for 14 fourth-quarter points in the Trail Blazers’ huge 107-96 win over Denver, Blake’s old team.
Nuggets coach George Karl’s favorite former players are intangible guys, be it Detlef Schrempf, Nate McMillan or Steve Blake, and there was Blake on Friday, catching fire and hitting four fourth-quarter 3-pointers after Portland entered the quarter trailing by two.
“Steve can make shots,” Karl said. “The corner 3 has always been a part of (Portland’s) personality, and tonight we didn’t do a great job at covering it.”
Denver is 20-10, while Northwest Division rival Portland, coached by McMillan, is 20-12.
Denver’s Carmelo Anthony led his team with 32 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds.
Before the game, there were murmurs throughout the Rose Garden regarding the health of all-stars Brandon Roy (left shoulder) and Chauncey Billups (left groin). Both guys suited up, but Denver’s Billups (10 points, five assists) played only the first half, resting the groin in a precautionary move. (Denver is off today but has a back-to-back on Sunday and Monday).
With Roy, the only pain was the one he provided in the Nuggets’ backside. Dude was on fire. In the first half alone, Roy scored 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting, and he finished with a game-high 41 on 16-for-26 shooting. He hit a big 3 with 6:01 left in the game, which gave Portland a 93-85 lead.
“They had an urgency to their game and we never got a control of Roy’s leadership,” Karl said. “His drive was pretty obvious — they knew this was an important game.”
This was a tough loss, considering that last season Denver and Portland had 54-28 records, but the Nuggets claimed the tiebreaker and the division title. This season, the Nuggets snatched the first matchup in Portland, a statement-maker in just the second game of the season, a back-to- back win following another “wow” win against Utah.
Now, the series is split 1-1, with the next two games at the Pepsi Center — March 7 and April 1.
“Any time we play them, they bring their hard hat, and I think we do the same,” said Kenyon Martin, who had a technical foul and a flagrant one foul. “I don’t shy away from it. I love competitive games. That’s what it’s about.”
J.R. Smith had an electric 41-point performance in Denver’s win Wednesday against Atlanta, and Smith scored 20 in 29 minutes against Portland, shooting 9-for-23 from the field and 2-for-6 from 3-point range.
The Nuggets’ loss was their fifth straight on the road since a Dec. 5 win at San Antonio. And prior to Portland, the four straight on the road were all against teams under .500. Denver is now 7-9 away from home this season, but 10 of their next 14 are at the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets have lost just once all season.
“I don’t think we’re picking the pace up on the road very much,” Karl said. “We’re not running and attacking.”
The Blazers’ win was more impressive considering their injured players could fill a jury. Among the wounded are two of their top rebounders in Greg Oden (8.5 boards) and Joel Przybilla (7.9) and two of their top bench scorers in Travis Outlaw (9.9 points) and Rudy Fernandez (8.6).
“When I was here two months ago, I thought they had too many good players,” Karl said before the game. “Now, they might not have as many good players, but they’re playing as well as they have all year, with energy and intensity. They beat San Antonio legitimately the other day by outworking them.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
