The Portland Trail Blazers were struggling offensively, had lost valuable forward Travis Outlaw, who fractured a bone in his foot after stepping wrong in his first minute of action, and, as a result, were behind to the Charlotte Bobcats 28-20 midway through the second quarter. It was then that they found a crease in Charlotte’s stingy defense, went on a run, and took advantage as the worst offensive team in the NBA had their gamely prolonged cold spell.

Portland scored on six straight possessions: Andre Miller hit two free-throws, Brandon Roy made a layup, Steve Blake hit a three-pointer–his second in eight first half attempts–LaMarcus Aldridge hit two free-throws, and Miller drained a jumper. Miller’s shot that capped this 11-0 run gave the Blazers a 33-28 lead with just under four minutes left.

The Bobcats hadn’t scored in three-plus minutes, and would only manage a layup by forward Gerald Wallace over the next three-plus. Roy answered that lone basket by turning what was a seven-point deficit into a eight-point halftime lead, making two free-throws, a layup, and then another free-throw. His five straight points to conclude the quarter put the finishing touches on a brilliant 18-2 run, a run that would continue in the third as Charlotte remained cold and Portland remained hot.

Greg Oden made a layup to begin the quarter. Aldridge followed with a jumper, then after one by Charlotte’s Boris Diaw, he drove into the lane and made a jump-hook over his fellow forward. Following a free-throw by Bobcats guard Raymond Felton, Miller hit a jumper as the shot-clock wound down for a thirteen-point lead, Portland’s largest of the game. Roy then set a new mark, extending the margin to sixteen with a three-pointer that gave the Blazers a 49-33 with three and a half minutes gone by in the third. Roy’s three-pointer notched his 15th, 16th, and 17th points and concluded a magnificent run: over last ten minutes, Portland had outscored Charlotte 29 to 5, disgruntling another sparse crowd.

Memphis’s arena was nearly empty. Minnesota’s was as well. New Orleans’ was, too. This game against the Bobcats was the Blazers fourth straight playing in front of a few thousand. Those that showed up for this contest clapped passionately in the early going, especially when Diaw’s jumper made it 28-20 in their team’s favor, but went nearly silent as Portland ran roughshod to nab that sixteen-point lead.

Just then, the crowd that had grown restless livened up a bit, as Charlotte clawed back, slowly whittling Portland’s large lead. The deficit was fourteen after a jumper by Raja Bell, twelve after Diaw hit a three-pointer, and ten after Diaw made a layup. The Blazers called a timeout with a tad under five minutes left in the third quarter hoping to quell the run, but it didn’t work. Roy hit a jumper once the lecture from head coach Nate McMillan was over, but Bobcats center Tyson Chandler made a tip-in, Diaw scored five straight on two layups and a free-throw, and following a another jumper by Roy, guard Raja Bell cut a lead the Blazers once believed comfortable down to just four with a three-pointer. Portland, nervous and having lost momentum, entered the final period with a small 55-51 cushion.

During the Blazers big run that spanned a substantial portion of the second and third periods, the Bobcats shot a measly 2-18 from the field. During Charlotte’s 16-4 run that consumed the final six minutes of the third, the Blazers connected on just 2-11 shots and committed three turnovers. But because Portland’s spurt was more impressive, they held the lead, no matter how disappointingly slim it was.

McMillan lectured his team in between quarters, and this time it sunk in, as the Blazers stemmed the tide in the fourth by refusing to allow their opponent any closer than four. The stayed in front by showing their true colors, albeit without Outlaw and his usual fourth quarter heroics. Oden hit a layup and made a jumper; Miller sped in for a layup after Oden grabbed an offensive rebound Roy, the league-leader entering the game with 29 fourth quarter free-throws made, shrugged off a double team and created contact for his 30th and 31st. Rudy Fernandez, who took only one shot in the previous contest, benefited from the collapsing defense on Roy, taking a pass from the star guard and draining a three-pointer. Roy answered a jumper by Bell with one of his own, and then Oden and Aldridge kept a possession alive, tipping the ball in the air before Aldridge tipped it in. All was right; threat averted.

Thanks to three offensive rebounds and a free-throw as the result of a fracas that featured a Bell elbow to Aldridge’s head and five technicals, Portland safely secured a victory. The 80-74 win was prettier than their previous over the Hornets, and though the Blazers made 42 percent of their field goals, 5 of 20 three-pointers, and dished a measly eight assists, they escaped thanks to superb play by their cavalcade of stars, a promising group headed by Roy, who led the way with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in their fourth victory of the road trip and sixth overall.

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