The following appeared on Portland’s NBA site this afternoon:

“The Portland Trail Blazers recalled guard Patty Mills from the NBA Development League’s Idaho Stampede, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard.

In two games since being assigned to the Stampede on Dec. 29, Mills posted averages of 30.0 points (21-37 FG, 11-15 3-PT) and 7.5 assists in 34.0 minutes off the bench.

In his first professional game, Mills led all players with 38 points and 12 assists on Jan. 1. The 6-0 guard’s put-back with 1.2 seconds remaining gave the Stampede a one-point win on Jan. 3.

Mills, selected by the Trail Blazers with the 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft, will join the Trail Blazers for Monday’s game at the L.A. Clippers.”

View source article HERE

Previously today...

NBA CALLING AFTER MILLS BUZZER BEATER LIFTS STAMPEDE

Boomers point guard Patrick Mills has taken another step toward his NBA debut after scoring the winning basket for the Idaho Stampede in a 109-108 victory over the Reno Bighorns in the Development League.

Mills, who stands just six feet tall in the old scale, corralled an offensive rebound after a Stampede miss and converted the basket with one second remaining.

Prior to today's clutch play, Mills exploded with a trio of three-pointers and a lay-up in the final period of his second game back from injury before propelling the Portland Trailblazers’ feeder team to victory in the final second.

He finished with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting including 4-of-5 three-pointers with 3 assists, 2 rebounds and four turnovers in 32 minutes on court.

The Canberra native was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers in June but missed five months of action after breaking a bone in his foot in July.

He made a stunning return from injury on Saturday, registering a whopping 38 points with 12 assists in his professional debut in a 123-109 over the Reno Bighorns.

Over two games in the D-League, Mills is averaging 30 points with 7.5 assists while shooting a sizzling eleven three-pointers from 15 attempts.

Trailblazers management hoped Mills would get valuable game time in the D-League and a gradual return to match fitness, but Mills call-up to the main event may come sooner than expected.

Portland has been beset by a horror run of injuries and player unavailability this season, with point guard Steve Blake the latest casualty.

Blake was hospitalized on Saturday with pneumonia and is expected to be out for at least a week, meaning the Trailblazers may have to run a skeletal roster of just eight players in back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Clippers (Tuesday) and the Memphis Grizzlies (Wednesday) and again on Saturday against Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers.

Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard said the Blazers were leaning toward elevating Mills for this week’s games to lift the roster to nine players and head coach Nate McMillan did nothing to douse the rumour.

“We want to look to get him back,” McMillan said after eyeing Mills’ outstanding D-League debut.

Portland, winners of eight games from its last 10 matches despite the injury plague, is currently in fourth place on the Western Conference ladder behind the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.

By Bill Baxter for Basketball Australia