As Smith states in his column, “McMillan has hesitated to make Batum a starter since he returned to the lineup, mainly because Roy’s expected activation would have forced two major rotation changes before the break.” But, now that Roy will be out through the All-Star break, Batum’s insertion into the starting lineup makes complete sense. He has not only shown off a improved jump-shot since his return to compliment his already-stifling defense, but he gives the Blazers a better chance to survive against the bigger Thunder.

Portland had been going with a backcourt of point guard Andre Miller and Bayless, while using Webster at the small-forward spot. This lineup worked in some sets, but with two guards smaller than 6′3″, they had trouble defending taller and more physical opponents for sustained periods. Especially against Durant and Jeff Green, both of whom are over 6′9″ in height, a lineup featuring Webster and Batum is necessary.

Starting Batum, especially alongside Webster, would benefit the Blazers in two pivotal ways. First, by having him play at least the first half of the opening quarter, he can frustrate Durant, Oklahoma City’s best player and who he would ideally defend. His length and savviness on the defensive end has troubled many point guards, shooting guards, and small and power forwards during his short tenure in the league, and by increasing his minutes Portland will have a better chance of getting off to a solid start and sustaining a certain level of efficiency over the duration. Second, the Webster-Batum duo would help Portland spread the floor, give the Blazers alternating options to defend Durant, and keep the Thunder’s defense conscious of two dependable long-range shooters.

This brings me to an observation of Bayless. Like Batum he has a much-improved outside game, but he tends not to rely on it perhaps as much as he should. Why not? He appears to play angry, like he has something to prove every time he touches the ball. More often than not he drives, possessing a fearless aggressiveness few have. But, though he gets to the free-throw line with regularity and makes a variety of dazzling layups and dunks, sometimes he drives with nowhere to go, trying to do to much, a sign of over-zealousness. He’s very passionate and he’s very young, at the baby-faced age of 21, and is one of my favorite players to watch, but does he have to always look so mad and play with a ‘I have to drive’ mentality?

If he can learn how to have fun without being so tenacious and rely heavier on his jumper, which would force defenses to protect against the drive, his game could be much more well-rounded and much less predictable. He has starter-worthy talent, which is why he has played shooting guard in Roy’s stead, but to become more consistent and perhaps a 20-point scorer on a gamely basis, a tweaking may be in order.

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According to Dwight Jaynes, a former journalist for The Oregonian and the Portland Tribune, Bayless might have been stat-padding in the closing minutes of their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers this past Saturday:

“…the worst thing in the waning moments of Trail Blazers losses lately has been Jerryd Bayless’s relentless pursuit of his own points.

You’ve seen it. Both teams are just playing the game out and that’s when he lowers his head, quits looking for teammates and just tries to steamroll to the basket to get his own points. No thought of looking for a teammate — just a seemingly selfish dash to grab cheap points.”

I wouldn’t go this far, but I see where Jaynes is coming from. Bayless drove to the rim and was fouled twice with the game still within reach, but then there was a sequence I believe Jaynes was referring to. Down 18 points with three and a half minutes left, Bayless hit a pair of jumpers and missed a third shot on three consecutive possessions. Some might say a comeback could still have been made, but others might say it was ‘garbage time.’ Personally, I don’t see much wrong with what Bayless did in the waning minutes against Los Angeles. Yet there is no doubt in my mind that he plays with a chip on his shoulder, considering he’s just now molded into a starter while Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who was in the 2008 draft class as well, has made a name for himself as a dependable impact player and a borderline All-Star.

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Speaking of dependable impact players and borderline All-Stars: According to TNT’s David Aldridge, “While much has been made of the Blazers’ pursuit of Washington center Brendan Haywood, the Blazers have just as much, if not more, interest in Butler, and are willing to put $3 million in cash toward a deal — which certainly interests the Wizards.” But, to water down this particular rumor in his article full of them, he goes on to explain Portland’s hesitancy for pulling off a deal for the 29-year old small forward: “Portland’s refusal to put any of its young players other than Martell Webster in any potential deal puts it on the outside looking in. As has been reported, the Wizards want either Nicolas Batum — no chance — or Rudy Fernandez — not likely, as he is a favorite of many inside the Blazers’ braintrust.”

If Portland doesn’t want to part with Batum or Fernandez, two players that can play small forward, why undeservedly limit their minutes and bring in another small forward, one with a longterm deal who may or may not fit with them or, more importantly, Roy? Why break up a Blazers team that has been through so much this season?

It is a rumor in a month full of them. And the reason why this rumor won’t come to fruition is because of McMillan and the rest of braintrust’s confidence in Batum and the many other young talents on their ever-maturing team.

The feeling in the Rose Garden was this when the news Bryant news broke: Put another victory in the win column for the Blazers; the Lakers don’t stand a chance. The crowd wasn’t as jubilant; there was rarely an eruption. The crowd cheered when Rudy Fernandez hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put Portland up by nine early in the second quarter, and did so again when Andre Miller “went two inches off the ground,” according to announcer Mike Rice, double-clutched, and somehow banked in a layup around 7-1 Pau Gasol. But they were waiting for the lead to lengthen instead of cheering their team on to lengthen the lead.

Prior to Miller’s impressive layup, Portland had multiple chances to lengthen their lead to double-digits, but three-pointers by Martell Webster and Steve Blake rimmed out. After Miller’s layup, Portland’s defense became as flat as their crowd. The Lakers made three consecutive layups waltzing in far too easily. The worst was yet to come. Not only could they defend the paint, but they failed to even make Ron Artest flinch from outside. The Lakers physical forward hit a uncovered three-pointer with over a minute remaining in the half, another a half a minute later, then capped off the their comeback with a 30-footer at the buzzer. On the latter play, LaMarcus Aldridge was backpedaling, and was no closer than six feet when the dagger was shot. As Rice’s partner Mike Barrett aptly pointed out, the Blazers “defense looking like Swiss cheese.” And that was putting it mildly.

The Lakers didn’t have a great third quarter, scoring just 19 points after dropping 30 in the second, but luckily for them the Blazers defensive woes turned into offensive woes. Portland scored only 19 points on 6-17 shooting in the second period, allowing Los Angeles to take a six-point halftime lead. They were even worse in the third, scoring just 16 points on 7-19 shooting. Without Bryant, the Lakers had uglied up the game, turning what was a fast-paced first quarter into a sluggish contest.

It was the Blazers halfcourt offense that made the game so unwatchable (that and the hundreds of screaming Lakers fans that somehow managed to fill the seats). Without Roy, this part of their game was a train-wreck made worse when Los Angeles’s defense turned especially stifling. Portland just couldn’t score. And the crowd was too shellshocked to try to rejuvenate them.

When they had a glimmer of hope, the Basketball Gods that made the weather in Portland sunny turned them back. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson once said they lose in part because of the city’s nonstop dreariness. Well, with two plays midway through the fourth not only summed up the Blazers night, but also reminded the Lakers of the sun that shown all day. The player that never does anything wrong even had a pair of forgetful moments. First, down fourteen with plenty of time remaining for a comeback, Nicolas Batum stole the ball after trapping Shannon Brown deep in the backcourt, drove to the hoop, and was hacked vigorously by Brown, who recovered nicely. Batum inexplicably missed both free-throws, leading Barrett to say, “Well, that sums up Portland’s night in a nutshell.” He stood corrected; the next play deserved that quote. Webster did the one thing he did right in his nightmarish outing, stealing the ball from Gasol. He passed ahead to Miller, who then fed a trailing Batum. The Flying Frenchman flew, but instead of slamming home a dunk to awaken the crowd, the ball slipped out of his hands as he reached for the rim and caromed off the backboard. “That sums up Portland’s night in a nutshell,” said Barrett.

What could have been a ten-point game late if not for two firsts from Batum turned into a 16-point deficit as the crowd headed for the exits and eventually a 17-point defeat at the hands of the Lakers, a team that tortured Portland with a balanced attack offensively and an even more impressive effort defensively.

No Bryant, no problem, right? It turned out Bryant’s absence was the problem in Los Angeles’s first win at the Rose Garden in five years.

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Game Notes:

Portland scored 53 points over the final three quarters. They made just 21 of 52 field goals over that span.

Aldridge, who had 12 points in the opening period, finished with 16 points. Similarly, Juwan Howard had all ten of his points in the first quarter.

Miller had the best all-around night for the Blazers, scoring 14 points on 5-8 shooting and dishing 6 assists while grabbing 4 rebounds.

Jerryd Bayless added 13 points. Excluding the efficiency of Howard, Miller, and Bayless, the rest of the team was 17-48 shooting.

Webster had just 2 points in 28 minutes, missing six of seven field goals including all four three-pointers.

Steve Blake had 7 assists. The Blazers had 14 in the first half (Blake and Miller had 5 each). In the second, they had only 6 assists.

Portland missed 13 of 18 three-pointers and shot 43 percent overall.

Artest led Los Angeles with 21 points on 9-12 shooting. His three three-pointers to end the first half were the definition of deflating.

Lamar Odom scored just 10 points but he was a monster on the boards, grabbing twenty-two. To fill the stat-sheet, he dished 6 assists as well.

Brown scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half. Before Artest’s threes, he kept the Lakers in contention.

Los Angeles outscored Portland 48-22 in the paint.

The last time the Blazers lost to the Lakers by 17 or more points at home was New Year’s Day in 1987, according to Barrett’s recap.

Worth noting: To put Bryant’s game-streak in comparison, this was Miller’s 586th straight games played.

Boxscore of 99-82 loss to Lakers:

Patty Mills scored!!!!

Here is the Press Release from the team:

BRANDON ROY SIDELINED THROUGH ALL-STAR BREAK
Portland guard to undergo PRP therapy on Monday

PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will miss Portland’s next three games and the NBA All-Star Game with a right hamstring strain, it was announced today by General Manager Kevin Pritchard.

“Unfortunately, I’m not where I was hoping I would be physically at this point, said Roy. “It’s a setback and I’m obviously disappointed, but my entire focus is getting back on the court, contributing and helping our team down the stretch.”Roy initially injured his hamstring January 13 vs. Milwaukee and re-aggravated it January 20 at Philadelphia. He has missed 11 of Portland’s last 12 games heading into tonight’s game with the L.A. Lakers.

“This was not a decision that any of us wanted to make, but in the end we had to do what was best for Brandon,” said Pritchard. “We’re hopeful that this extended rest will put Brandon in the best possible position to return to the line-up shortly after the All-Star break.”

Roy will undergo Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy with Dr. Neal Elattrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles on Monday.

Roy leads the team in scoring (23.1), free throws made (213) and minutes (38.3), and ranks second on the squad in assists (5.0) and steals (1.03). In just 40 games this season, he has led the team in scoring 25 times and assists on 15 occasions (including ties).

In early January, the Blazers defeated the Lakers 107-98 for their ninth straight home win against their rival. At this point in the season they were already lacking the second of their two centers, Joel Przybilla. Los Angeles was missing Gasol for the game, a vital piece of their puzzle, but a team that still had a size advantage could not succeed against Portland, whose center was 6-9 Juwan Howard.

How did they beat Los Angeles by nine? They let Bryant shoot, shoot, and shoot some more, taking the rest of their talent out of the equation. He took 37 of their 95 shots and made only 14 of them. This amount of shots, most of which errant, limited the production from Artest, Odom, Bynum, and point guard Derek Fisher, as none of the four scored more than 15 points. Brandon Roy, the Blazers star, scored the same amount of points as Bryant while taking 26 less shots. He was extremely efficient, as was point guard Andre Miller and Jerryd Bayless, a duo that combined for 38 points on 10-19 shooting from the field and 23-26 from the free-throw line.

Portland out-shot Los Angeles 39-10 from the free-throw line. To keep the streak going they have to be aggressive once again. Roy and Bayless are listed as questionable for the game. Though the Blazers beat the San Antonio Spurs without both, these two players are their aggression. Both can drive whenever they want and both have solid outside jumpers. Roy, if he plays, will be testing his tight right hamstring. Bayless, if he plays, will be trying to shake off the effects of a sprained ankle. Due to these injuries, these two may be tentative to do what they do best. They are integral pieces of the team’s success, so it is difficult to tell them to be aggressive given the possibility of re-injury.

But if these two players play they will find a way to be productive. Bayless has one gear at this stage of his career: drive to the rim. So I’m sure if can give it a go he won’t change a thing. Roy, if his hamstring is still a bit tight, can score in other ways besides driving.

The Lakers will have Gasol back, but to counter him the Blazers will have a on-fire LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge, who scored just eight points in that January victory, has stepped up in Roy’s absence. Roy has missed 11 of the last 12 games. In those eleven contests he has averaged 21 points and 9 rebounds, a run highlighted by his most recent performance, a 28-point 13-rebound game against the Spurs. If Aldridge continues his extraordinary play a win will be much easier to harness.

How can a win get easier to obtain? Usually, when a team has a talent like Bryant, the game-plan is to make anyone else beat you. But the Lakers have five other capable players, all of which can rack up the points when given the chance. Bryant asking more than a third of their field goals is not only the definition of a ballhog, but its what the Blazers want him to do during tonight’s game. He’s a great player and can be deadly when he’s on, but if the Bryant takes 30-plus field goals Portland will prove victorious once more.

Another thing in Portland’s favor: the Lakers have forgotten how to play defense. They not only allow 97 points per game this season but, against a Denver Nuggets team without their star Carmelo Anthony, they allowed 126 points in their previous contest. In giving up such a total they failed to guard the three-point line, as the Nuggets made 15-22 attempts from deep. Denver shot 57 percent overall by running and picking apart Los Angeles in the open court. The Blazers must do the same. They held a lead over the Spurs at halftime because they ran a efficient uptempo offense, a offense head coach Nate McMillan has been hesitant to implement.

One more thing in Portland’s favor: Nicolas Batum. The defensive stalwart and much-improved offensive player was in street-clothes during the last meeting. He has felt some pain in his surgically-repaired shoulder this past week, primarily because opponents were shoulder-hunting, but if he is at full-strength, Bryant’s night could be a miserable one. If he jacks up shots despite Batum’s defense the Blazers will benefit greatly.

One last thing in Portland’s favor: the Lakers cannot win in Portland. And if the Blazers get solid performances out of Roy, Aldridge, Bayless, Batum, Miller, Batum, and Martell Webster, make a hobbled Bryant shoot, keep the Lakers size in check, and watch their bench continue to struggle, the streak can reach ten at the Rose Garden.

Update: Roy will not play, according to The Oregonian’s Jason Quick. Bayless will start in his place. Roy is officially out until the All-Star Break.
Bryant will not play due to a sprained ankle.

The two teams traded scores twice, culminating with a dazzling hook shot by Juwan Howard to pull Portland to within six, 83-77, near the period’s halfway mark. Shots that were falling for the Spurs in the first three quarters clanged as the Blazers continued to take momentum away from their veteran opponent. Aldridge lost the ball attempting to set up shop down low, but it was fortuitously tipped out to Andre Miller, who sped to the hoop, twisted around as he felt contact, and heaved the ball over his head, off the backboard and through for a acrobatic layup and a four-point game. The sellout Rose Garden crowd applauded, cheering on Miller and their resilient team. They knew how big this win would be and so did the Blazers. Translation: the Spurs were in trouble.

After future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan rattled in a sweeping hook, Aldridge canned a tough turnaround baseline jumper with Antonio McDyess blanketing him. As Aldridge, with 26 points to his name, trotted upcourt he smirked, a smirk that said ‘you’re toast, San Antonio.’ It was a little early for this kind of attitude from Aldridge, as was a smile later in the contest, but it was the swagger the Blazers had to have. Time and time again Portland has struggled late in games without Brandon Roy, but this moment illustrated how comfortable at least Aldridge was in this situation.

The rest of the team followed suit, playing with confidence. Following a end-of-the-shot-clock clang by Duncan and a rebound by Aldridge, Miller lobbed a pass sixty feet downcourt to a streaking Nicolas Batum, who made a difficult catch look easy and glided in for a layup, whittling the deficit to just two with four minutes remaining. Following a answering layup by Manu Ginobili, who provided a definitive spark off the bench, Spurs head coach Greg Popovich looked into the future and saw what Martell Webster would eventually do. Miller drove into the lane, let the defense converge, and noticing Webster was uncovered in the corner, found the third best three-point shooter in the NBA. As the ball zipped through the air to Webster, Popovich turned around, looked to the heavens as if to say “Here it comes”, then pounded the press table and cursed as the three-pointer swished through the net. This pulled Portland within one, and the next basket gave them the lead.

Aldridge gave the Blazers that lead with a jumper, and then drained another tough shot after a double-team of Duncan resulted in just the Spurs fourth turnover. Portland had momentum on their side and their fans on their feet, but then came sequence that really shifted the game into their favor. Webster dove for a loose ball and tied up Duncan as the two wrestled for possession on the floor. Having injured his calf on the play, he hobbled to the free-throw line for the jump-ball, then leaped with all his might in an effort to win the tip from the seven-foot Duncan. He didn’t, but the Spurs couldn’t capitalize after regaining possession, as guard Tony Parker missed a shot he usually makes. Aldridge snatched the rebound in traffic, cleared to Miller, who drove wildly into the lane but somehow found Batum. Batum then passed to a in-rhythm Webster and he immediately launched and swished a three-pointer that shook the Rose Garden, jubilantly raised the voice of TNT announcer Kevin Harlan, notched the eighth straight Blazers point, and gave his team a four-point lead, 91-87, with 22 seconds to play.

With their play over the remaining 22 seconds, Portland almost gave their fans heart failure. Ginobili drove in for a uncontested, quick dunk that took just three seconds off the clock. The Blazers, up only two with plenty of time left, now had a simple job to do: make free-throws. Miller stepped to the line after George Hill foolishly wasted three seconds before fouling. He missed the first, his third straight miss from the charity stripe. He made the second, though, forcing San Antonio to try draw up a play for a potential game-tying three.

Poppovich drew up a perfect play, but it didn’t pan out. The ball was inbounded to Duncan in the post. He found Hill, who was streaking to the right wing. Hill, with the defense converging, passed to a wide-open Ginobili in the corner. The crowd and the Blazers bench took a deep breath as Ginobili hoisted and rimmed out a makeable shot under the circumstances. Webster skied for the rebound.

Webster was fouled and he hit both free-throws under pressure. After Hill sped down and trimmed a five-point deficit to two with a three, Webster made two more free-throws. A second five-point lead in the span of three seconds and Portland still did nearly everything possible to open the door for the Spurs. Miller made the stupidest of plays, fouling Hill when he should have been nowhere near him. Hill made the first and missed the second on purpose, hoping for a tip-out and a three, but Aldridge snatched his 13th rebound. Surely now the Blazers would put the game away? Nope: Aldridge shanked a pair at the line.

A desperation heave by the Spurs could tie, but their attempt hit high off the backboard, sending confetti from the rafters, Aldridge into a interview session, the crowd into joyous cheer, and Portland to a very impressive, down-to-the-wire comeback win against their Western Conference foe.

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Game Notes:

Aldridge paced Portland with 28 points on 12-22 shooting and 13 rebounds.

Webster made all five three-pointers he took and finished with 21 points on 6-9 shooting.

Howard made all five field goals he took for 10 points. He also grabbed 8 rebounds.

Miller didn’t shoot particularly well, 5-14, but compiled 11 points and 10 assists. Seven of his assists came in the first half, however, and he missed three free-throws down the stretch. And he did commit that boneheaded foul on Hill. Yet, he still was an integral part of their comeback, making most of their field goals possible by driving and kicking out to his teammates on the wings.

Cunningham had 9 points on 4-6 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds. As usual, he made the hustle plays and hit his improved jumper in the Blazers cause.

Rudy Fernandez ignited Portland in the first half and ended up with 10 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, and one steal.

Batum added 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

The Blazers had good ball movement throughout, assisting on 30 of their 39 field goals. As a team they shot 51 percent.

Ginobili led the Spurs with 21 points off the bench. DeJuan Blair tallied 11 points off the bench as well.

Parker scored 18 points and dished 6 assists. Duncan had 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists. Both were non-factors down the stretch, especially Duncan, who was defended very well by Aldridge and Howard.

Hill finished with 16 points as Parker’s backcourt mate.

Portland scored 19 of the game’s final 29 points to pull out the win.

Boxscore of 96-93 win over Spurs:

The Blazers shooting percentage dropped in the second, but that didn’t stop them from trying to match the Jazz offensively. Rudy Fernandez hit a three-pointer to trim a eight-point deficit to four. Aldridge set up shop down low in what announcer Mike Rice said was “the best post position I’ve seen LA get in a long time,” spun on the whispy-haired Andrei Kirilenko, made a powerful layup and an ensuing free-throw. Andre Miller followed with his first basket of the game, a layup at the 5:30 mark of the period. Jerryd Bayless tested a wrist he injured on a hard fall following a dunk in the first by draining a mid-range jumper, driving into the lane for a layup, then hitting another jumper. Yet, even though Miller proceeded to matriculate through some Jazz with a slow, strong driving layup that resulted in a three-point play, Portland’s deficit was still four. That was because, at this juncture, Utah had 53 points with two minutes and sixteen seconds left.

The Blazers defense was downright atrocious. A wide-open dunk by forward Mehmet Okur that preceded Miller’s lay-in was a recurring theme. Time and time again Utah was waltzing in for easy baskets, cutting through Portland’s stand-around style of defense with ease. It was so bad that when Portland did get a stop, a inside hoop or a uncovered jumper was coming on the next possession.

The Blazers allowed 60 first half points on 18-33 shooting. They took fourteen more shots than Utah, but Utah’s constant aggressiveness led to 21 makes in 24 attempts at the foul-line. Still, despite their paltry defense and 40 percent shooting, they were in the hunt. But they would only truly remain in the game if they could figure out how to guard Utah’s widespread talent.

They could not. The third quarter was the same old story. The Jazz scored on five straight possessions during the tail-end of the period, culminating with a play that exemplified Portland’s night. As the shot clock wound down, Utah forward Ronnie Brewer lobbed a pass into the middle of the lane, Kirilenko grabbed it running sideways, spun back towards the basket in one unorthodox motion, and tossed in a bank at the horn. This prayer gave the Jazz a 16-point lead, their largest of the game.

The good thing was that it would remain their largest. Portland scored five of the final seven points of the period, trimming the margin to a manageable eleven heading into the final quarter. After Deron Williams hit a three-pointer for his first basket of the game, the guard took his time getting the ball over mid-court and was called for a eight-second violation, leading to this truth from Rice: “That’s the second mistake they’ve made all night. That’s it.” I’m not sure they had another one the rest of the game.

Juwan Howard followed this blunder by Williams with his fifth and sixth straight points for the Blazers, tipping in a miss by Bayless. Utah proceeded to surprisingly miss a few shots in a row, leading to two free-throws on a aggressive drive by Bayless and a step-back jumper by Aldridge, whittling the deficit to just seven with half the quarter to play. Now, a few more stops and Portland could have a solid chance to pull out a victory. But they were stops they couldn’t get.

The Blazers offense came alive, but the Jazz were also on fire. Martell Webster lost sight of Kirilenko, who jammed from Williams. Okur followed with a high-arching three from the right wing and after Aldridge scored his 26th and 27th points, Kirilenko dunked. Portland went on a quick run, capped by a three-pointer by Nicolas Batum that pulled them within seven with just over a minute left, but rookie guard Patrick Mills entered the game 15 seconds later, meaning garbage time had begun.

Portland allowed 118 points, 62 percent shooting, and six Jazz to score in double figures. On the bright side in a deserving defeat, Mills hit a 9-footer in traffic for his first NBA points. That and Aldridge’s performance were the only two highlights for the Blazers, however, in the convincing Jazz victory.

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Game Notes:

Aldridge had a incredible game, scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, including 5 offensive. He made 11-15 free-throws and also dished five assists. Webster added 20 points on 8-17 shooting. Miller only had 9 points on 3-13 shooting. Bayless scored 14 points in 22 minutes.

The Blazers bench didn’t have a scorer in double figures, though they did make 9-20 field goals, including 5-8 from deep. Given the team’s defense, however, more production was dearly needed. Portland shot just 42 percent overall.

Okur, the last guy I expected to hurt the Blazers, led the Jazz with 28 points on 11-13 shooting. Kirilenko tallied 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Williams added 13 points and 13 assists.

Utah outscored Portland 62-38 in the paint. As mookie in the comments told me, the Jazz made 29-35 inside shots. These are the reasons why the Blazers lost.

Worth noting: There was a third mistake by the Jazz. Sundiata Gaines, who entered just about the time Mills did, drove in for a layup with less than a second remaining on the clock. In this league, you don’t do that, rookie. His immaturity and bad professionalism will not be forgotten by the Blazers, a team that dropped their 65th game to the Jazz on their floor in 79 total appearances.

Boxscore of 118-105 loss to Jazz:

Patrick Mills in the process of scoring his first NBA points (Photo courtesy of A Stern Warning)

This happened far too much.

Prior to his injury, which occurred in the first quarter of a November 14th game against the Charlotte Bobcats, he was averaging just under 9 points and 4 rebounds per game. Quick mentions in that same article that “Outlaw on Tuesday went hard in a one-on-one session with assistant Monty Williams, and showed no sign of the injury.” Apparently playing pain-free, the only thing Outlaw has to do to get back on the court is to get into game-shape, and the “next three weeks will be spent building his conditioning.”

Still, the broken bone was the fifth metatarsal, the same bone Martell Webster broke last season. And last season, Portland rushed him back too quick: Webster played in just one game in early December before shutting it down for the rest of the year. The immediate recurrence of the injury could happen to Outlaw as well, but the Blazers have undoubtedly learned from Webster’s situation and have taken extra precautionary measures with their other talented forward.

Outlaw has been the team’s sixth man extraordinaire. But given the emergence of Nicolas Batum as both a scorer and defender, and the fact that head coach Nate McMillan laughed off the idea of starting Batum, his minutes could be limited once he returns to full strength. Dante Cunningham, who just set a career high in points last night against Charlotte, stands in his way as well. But, if the longest tenured Blazer doesn’t pull a Webster, his impact can be great considering his undeniable scoring ability and added bulk–muscle that will allow him to go against stronger players and become more versatile.

If he comes back as strong as Batum has, with no lingering effects of the injury, the final few months will be big for Outlaw. His contract is up at the end of the season, so many teams in need of a lengthy, young scoring forward will be watching him closely. I do hope he is retained by Portland, but success upon his return could warrant starter’s minutes and increased pay on the open market, two things I’m not sure the Blazers could guarantee.

Travis Outlaw, right, has some meat on his once rail-thin bones now!

They had struggled on their home-floor this season, with more losses, 9, than last year’s total at the friendly confines. A majority of those defeats happened because of an inability to close out opponents. Portland pulled out this one with ease thanks to an exciting offense and a stifling defense.

The Blazers jumped out to an early lead on the backs of Jerryd Bayless, Martell Webster, and LaMarcus Aldridge, but it was the trio of Fernandez, Batum, and Dante Cunningham that propelled the team to a very impressive victory over a very good team.

Portland swung the ball around the perimeter, Fernandez found Batum in the corner, and he drained a three, increasing their lead to nine, 70-61, late in the third period. With the quarter’s clock winding down, Fernandez pulled down one of many Bobcats misses and launched a full-court pass down to a streaking Batum, whom Stephen Jackson had lost complete sight of. Playing just his fifth game of the season, Batum sped to the hoop upon receiving the pass, and flushed, bringing the crowd to their feet and the Blazers lead to double-digits.

Charlotte finished the quarter strong, as guard Flip Murray canned a three-pointer at the horn. Some losses for the Blazers this season have happened because of a shifting-momentum three at the third quarter’s conclusion. But, in tonight’s fourth quarter, there would be a lot more like the Fernandez-Batum exchange than Murray’s hoist and the horn.

After Cunningham swished a jumper on a slow, bounding pass from Fernandez, and after soon-to-be 37-year old Juwan Howard slithered through for a reverse layup, and after Fernandez hit a three-pointer that had Murray shaking his head, Andre “Mr. 52″ Miller drove in for a layup the Dallas Mavericks know all too well. That drive which gave Miller his eighth point and the Blazers a thirteen-point advantage was followed by this nugget from announcer Mike Barrett: “Forty-four to go for Andre.” Against Dallas, Portland needed all 52 points to escape with a thrilling victory. For this win, a few layups was enough from the 33-year old veteran.

The Blazers won was in large part because of their offense, an offense that was Miller, Miller, and more Miller against Dallas but everyone else against Charlotte. Yet, their defense was equally as important. The Bobcats had 14 wins this past month, five more than their previous high for a month, and in their stellar January they averaged 102 points per game primarily because of the  improved play of Gerald Wallace and Jackson. The first game of February was a different story for the Bobcats and their top-two scorers. Cunningham and Batum shut both down; Cunningham with the physicality and Batum with the length to disrupt their rhythms. Charlotte’s duo combined to score 40 points on 14-29 shooting, but statistics can be deceiving: Jackson scored just six in the second half and Wallace made only five shots in 39 minutes. The Blazers defensive tandem affected every shot, getting hands in their faces on jumpers while also tipping balls and disrupting inside moves.

Jackson and Wallace had two points apiece in the final quarter. Wallace’s tip-in after Miller’s forty-four-to-go layup was one of just three field goals by the Bobcats in the quarter. Jackson didn’t have either of the other two; two free-throws were literally his two cents pitched in. In all, Charlotte had 14 points in the fourth. Portland had 10 alone after Fernandez’s dunk.

And what a exhilarating finish it was for the Blazers. Rightfully so, Batum was in the middle of the spurt that deepened the dagger that was thrust into the Bobcats heart by El Mago. The Flying Frenchman flew after a banked short jumper, receiving a lob from the best lob-passer in the land for a dunk, then another from Miller, slicing to the hoop for his final points of a superb outing. The only thing that when wrong in this contest was the lack of a point tallied by rookie guard Patrick Mills, who was inserted in garbage time. He missed an off-balanced two and then, with the crowd salivating over the Chalupa they would all receive if Portland reached a hundred, toed the baseline out of bounds.

For once, a late miss and a turnover wouldn’t cost Portland. For once, Mills was able to play, a late entrance made possible by the production of Batum, Fernandez, and Cunningham, the trio that excited the Rose Garden and stifled the road-weary Bobcats.

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Game Notes:

In 23 minutes, Batum scored 15 points on 7-10 shooting and grabbed 9 rebounds. Another super performance by the 21-year old.

Fernandez added 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals for a bench that, including Batum, scored 45 points on 18-35 shooting.

Cunningham had 10 of those points on five of those field goals, notching a season and therefore career-high in both categories. He added two blocks, including this ferocious one on a D.J. Augustin drive. He also played a career-high 31 minutes and played the entire fourth quarter.

Aldridge led Portland in scoring, tallying 17 points on 8-13 shooting while grabbing 8 rebounds.

Bayless added 15 points, providing a early jolt with 13 coming in the first half.

Not another 52 points, but Miller scored 8 points and dished 10 assists.

The Blazers shot 53 percent to the Bobcats 40 percent.

Jackson had 23 points and Wallace scored 17 points. Charlotte made only 26 field goals, hit just 6-23 three-pointers, and committed 21 turnovers that led to 28 Blazers points.

*Worth noting: This was the 44th straight win by Portland when holding opponents to 90 points or less.

Boxscore of Blazers 98-79 win over Bobcats:

Fernandez’s put-back dunk to seal win:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fernandez’s reverse layup in first quarter:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Batum’s backdoor alley-oop dunk from Miller:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Coming off a three game stretch in which he scored a grand-total of 15 points on 4-25 shooting, Miller pulled out all the stops. He tormented Jason Terry, Jose Juan Barea, and Jason Kidd for 17 first-half points, posting all three up on multiple occasions, making layups, turnarounds, fades, and face-up jumpers. This was only the beginning.

The contest was close throughout the first half and remained tight-knit into the third, primarily because of the play of Miller. After losing the ball in the lane, he tracked down Kidd, picked his pocket, and drove in for a layup. He was not only in a give-me-the-ball mode, but also, as this instance illustrated, in a “wait, that’s mine, Jason…thank you!” zone. He was simply amazing. Prior to that theft, he had scored 6 of the Blazers first 10 points in the third. And there was many more points left to score.

He didn’t add to his point total over the final 8:10 of the third quarter, which made his overall accomplishment that much more remarkable. Then came the fourth, when he etched his name into Blazers lore with one of the best quarters by any player in NBA history.

Portland led by four heading into the final frame, but it wouldn’t have been larger if not for a chucked buzzer-beating three by Barea at the horn. It appeared Dallas had all the momentum, but the Blazers started strong in the fourth. LaMarcus Aldridge pulled off a nice up-and-under move around Drew Gooden, maneuvering in for a layup. After Miller embarrassed Barea early in the third, it was then Steve Blake’s turn to torture the 5′8″ blur. He pulled up for a mid-range two, and then, following a steal by Dante Cunningham, Barea left Blake wide-open for three to give the Blazers a 80-73 lead. After that, it was all Miller.

Miller dribbled into the lane against Terry, took a handcheck, and drained a foul-line jumper. With the defense shading towards Miller on their next possession, he passed out to Blake, who canned just the second three by the Blazers for a seven-point advantage. Dallas followed with five straight, but Miller was there with a resounding answer. A jumper over seven-footer Dirk Nowitzki gave him 32 points. A driving layup around every Maverick gave him 34 points. Another on their next “give it to Miller” set play gave him 36, one shy of his career-high. At this point, with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Miller had already set a career high for field goals, so why not set a career-high in points? He did, swooping in for his millionth hard-earned layup of the evening, helping the Blazers to a 96-94 lead.

After the Mavericks re-gained the lead, he took it right back, slicing through the defense (if it could be called that) for contact, a layup, and a free-throw. This three-point play tallied his 39th, 40th, and 41st points. And, running on pure adrenaline, he wasn’t done.

Terry hit two free throws, and then, after Aldridge clanged two free-throws, Nowitzki hit a jumper. Portland now needed a basket down two with 41 seconds left. Who else would they go to than Miller? Dallas knew the ball would be in his hands, but they still couldn’t stop him from tying the game. Shawn Marion helped Miller’s cause, hip-checking the guard as he began his move into the middle. Miller showed Aldridge how to play in the clutch, hitting two free-throws to tie the score once more. Aldridge committed a silly foul on Nowitzki on the other end, resulting in two free-throws, but Miller bailed him out with one of the more memorable shots I have seen.

For his 45 points so far there had been countless layups, a plethora of mid-range jumpers, both of the pull-up and crossover variety, but nothing like what transpired next. Down by two, 103-101, Miller pulled another rabbit out of the hat, fighting through the middle before tossing up the unlikeliest of shots. No one expected it, but everyone expected it to go in. From seven-feet out, he did his best Kareem impersonation, imitating his sky-hook to perfect. It didn’t look pretty, as it took two hops on the rim, but the shot dropped just like his previous 17 field goals. Words couldn’t describe the feeling felt by myself, the Blazers announcers, and all other Blazers fans everywhere. Simply put now, it was remarkable.

Aldridge completed his nightmarish final minute, barely missing a fade-away jumper after great defense by Nicolas Batum on Nowitzki and strong rebound by Juwan Howard. Coming in, the Blazers were winless in overtime games this season, but with Miller, it was a safe bet that this streak would end.

Miller began the extra session with the one shot he hadn’t already made. A horrid three-pointer shooter, Miller sized up his defender on the right wing, looked at a basket that was as big as could be, and took a “why not?’ 25-footer and, not surprisingly, drained it. This gave him 48 points, and by this time all I could do was shake my head in disbelief.

Next, I was negatively shaking my head, as Terry and Nowitzki hit jumpers, then after a positive shake as Miller became the fifth in team history to drop 50, two more disappointing shakes as Terry hit a three and Kidd made a tip-in. Portland was suddenly behind by four, but luckily for them, Miller was ready to add to his legend. Following two clutch free-throws by Jerryd Bayless, he matriculated in for a layup, his eighth of the game.

After he couldn’t get the ball to Miller on their ensuing possession, Howard dribbled to his left and pulled up for his usual jumper over Nowitzki, turning what was once a deficit into a lead. That lead would remain theirs, as Batum blanketed Nowitzki on Dallas’s last chance, getting a hand in his face to force a miss at the buzzer. With that excellent defensive play by the Frenchman, the Blazers snuck by the Mavericks for by far their best win of the season. Not only did it end their three-game losing streak, but the victory was made possible by Miller, who had a mind-blowing 52 points, fifty more than he tallied against the Houston Rockets.

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Game Notes:

Miller made 22-31 field goals, notching a franchise record for field goals made. He had 19 points in the fourth quarter and 6 more in overtime. His previous career high of 37 was set eight years ago. He became the third player in NBA history to score 50 more points than his previous game. He was incredible.

After the game, Miller sad he’s “had a few heated nights in my career, but this was one of those where I just didn’t stop shooting.” It was a good thing he didn’t, too.

Describing Miller’s hook shot at the end of regulation, Dallas forward Shawn Marion said, “I played him pretty well, but once he’s got it going like that, what am I gonna do? He could have thrown a hook shot from halfcourt and it would have gone in.”

Aldridge added 21 points and Bayless contributed 17 points.

The Blazers had only 9 assists on their 46 field goals. Nearly all of Miller’s makes were in one-on one offensive sets. None of his 22 field goals were assisted, amazingly enough.

Howard grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds and Batum did much more than his two points would indicate.

Nowitzki led Dallas with 28 points. Terry added 18 points and Barea chipped in 17.

Worth noting: In a great article by The Oregonian’s Jason Quick, Miller’s teammates laugh at Miller’s ho-hum reaction to scoring 52 points. Batum said, “He never jumped once,” poking fun at Miller’s lack of a vertical leap, getting a laugh out of a nearby Aldridge and Martell Webster.

Boxscore:

Watch all 52 points. Blazers announcers Mike Barrett and Mike Rice with the call:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Miller’s shot-chart:

This is just a three-game stretch, but given Nicolas Batum’s play since returning from injury, his decline looks worse. The Flying Frenchman has been near perfect in his first three games of the season, scoring 34 points. A four point difference between the two players? Why is Batum praised and Webster not? Well, Batum has made 14-21 field goals, three three-pointers, grabbed 14 rebounds, and has dished 7 assists while committing just two turnovers in 65 minutes. And he does so much more than Webster. Webster will block shots and play pretty good defense, but on offense, he is strictly a spot-up shooter. He’s one of my favorite players, but when his shot is off he disappears. When Batum’s shot isn’t falling, he finds ways to impact the outcome by being unselfish, scrambling for loose balls, and playing defense on anyone from point guards to power forwards.

When Batum is on the floor, good things happen. When Webster is on the floor, good things might happen. Batum rarely makes mistakes. At 20, he plays well beyond his years, and has added so much to his game. Last year, his rookie season in which he started 76 games, he played 18 minutes per and excelled at the intangibles while hitting an occasional three-pointer from the baseline. So far this season, his offensive game has turned from predictable to wide-ranging. He has shown the ability to hit a mid-range jumper, create off the dribble, be aggressive when needed by using his length, and drain threes from all angles.

In Portland’s loss to the Houston Rockets, Batum did what he can do on a gamely basis with ease, scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and dishing 5 assists. Not surprisingly, they were +6 with him on the floor, the highest +/- of any Blazer. If Portland is outscored with him on the floor, it just shows that the +/- statistic isn’t the best measure of a player’s impact. He may commit a turnover here and there, but 99 percent of the time he plays intelligently with the demeanor of utmost self-confidence. He can help the team win while scoring 5 points (which was his average during the 52-win 2008-09 season). Webster can’t on a regular basis.

All signs point to Batum starting soon. Though this is ideal, demoting Webster to the bench could shatter his confidence, especially considering he’s about to finish the best month of his career. Though he has been missing in action a lot this year, having scored in single digits in 43 percent of the team’s games, he did so just twice this month. Yet, for the Blazers to get off to good starts and play consistently on both ends throughout all four quarters, Batum needs to play 30-35 minutes. And he may be able to do that without taking a substantial amount of minutes from Webster.

Though Webster’s minutes still wouldn’t take much of a hit despite a bench role, here is where having too much talent becomes a problem. They have four ball-handlers: Andre Miller, Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, and Roy. They have six perimeter shooters at the guard and forward positions: Roy, Bayless, Blake, Fernandez, Webster, and now Batum. They have four stand-out defenders at the guard and forward positions: Roy, Webster, Fernandez (yes, Fernandez), and Batum. They have five players who can score off the dribble consistently: Miller, Bayless, Fernandez, Roy, and Batum. They have a lot of everything, so how do they find minutes for everyone?

The good thing is that every guard/forward came make an impact playing limited minutes. This gives head coach Nate McMillan the enviable opportunity to mix-and-match lineups at will while resting everyone an adequate amount. Four ball-handlers, six perimeter shooters, four defenders, and five that can create give him the ultimate flexibility. It’s difficult to calculate minutes for everyone, especially considering Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph deserve some run as well, but for Portland to get back on track Batum has to see starter’s minutes, which means taking the job from Webster.

The Blazers couldn’t guard Hornets guards Chris Paul, or rookies Marcus Thornton and Darren Collison in their loss earlier this week. Next, they couldn’t guard the Jazz’s Deron Williams in a second consecutive defeat. Aaron Brooks was the latest guard “flying right by us,” as head coach Nate McMillan said following this contest against the Rockets. The former Oregon Duck star continued his stellar, All Star-snubbed season, using his blazing quickness to create baskets for himself and others. He scored 17 points in the first half and continued to torch the Blazers in the final two periods, helping his team turn a ten-point first quarter deficit into a lead as large as thirteen.

Given their resliency so far this season and their never-give-up attitude, Portland wouldn’t let such a deficit dampen their spirits, especially considering they fell behind 21-2 against Utah and made a game of it. Slowly but surely, they put together the stops on defense with some life on offense to chip away at Houston’s late third quarter advantage, climbing to within three near the period’s conclusion thanks to a three-pointer by Fernandez from Steve Blake, a long two by Blake from Fernandez, and then a three by Blake. These eight points in succession made it 74-71, but the Rockets regained momentum, scoring the final two baskets of the quarter for a seven-point lead heading into the fourth.

Portland began the fourth on a 9-4 run, a run that wouldn’t be complete without another the-basketball-Gods-hate-Portland injury. Chasing after a loose ball, Fernandez took a dangerous spill out of bounds, twisting his back awkwardly before falling hard to the floor. He got up and drove and dished a pass to Juwan Howard for a layup, but asked out of the game in obvious pain. He sat on the bench with a sickening look, and it appeared that he would either remain there or go to the locker-room for the remainder, but he shrugged off the tumble that fortunately wasn’t all too serious and worked his magic.

Before El Mago did his best to lift the Blazers, three noteworthy things happened, one encouraging and two gut-wrenching. First, the good: LaMarcus Aldridge held the ball in the post, passed it out to Blake, who swung it to Jerryd Bayless, who then fed Nicolas Batum in the corner for a three, capping the 9-4 run with around-the-horn unselfishness on the perimeter. Then the bad. Behind by two two minutes later, Portland failed to box out Carl Landry on the boards, and one of the best fourth quarter scorers in the NBA made their bigs pay by tipping in a Luis Scola miss on the possession’s third chance for a 88-84 lead with just under six minutes left. Then, three minutes later following a three-pointer by Fernandez, Landry scored on a feed from guard Trevor Ariza, dunking near the shot-clock’s end.

Another inside basket by Landry followed a usual fourth-quarter miss by Aldridge, lengthening the margin to six with less than two minutes to play. Aldridge’s miss was Portland’s second straight, and the Blazers would miss their next four as well to help the Rockets increase their lead to 100-92 as the clock ticked under the thirty-second mark.

Houston seemed to have just their fifth win of the month wrapped up, but that’s when Fernandez lived up to his nickname. He hit two free-throws upon being fouled with 27 seconds left, and then following a surprising occurrence, two missed free-throws by the 86-percent shooting Landry, he made sure his feet were behind the line and canned a three on a drive-and-kick by Bayless. A deficit that was just cut to three extended to five on two free-throws by Brooks. Fernandez refused to throw in the towel, dribbling for an opening and then, after creating some space, hit a three-pointer from the top, a shot he hoisted so confidently that he began to set himself defensively with the ball not three quarters of the way to the hoop.

Landry was fouled immediately by Fernandez. Two misses would be nice from the foul-line, but splitting a pair would keep the game one possession. He hit the first, but the second caromed hard off the back-iron and fell amongst a crowd. The Blazers had a great chance to grab the loose ball, but Brooks came out of the pack with it, forcing Howard, a frustrated witness on the sideline, to slap his towel against the floor in disgust. Ariza made one of two at the line, which was all the Rockets needed. With that, Portland lost in devastating fashion, something that is happening far too often these days for a banged up team trying to stay in the playoff hunt.

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Game Notes:

Fernandez tied a career-high with 25 points. He hit 5-6 three-pointers and made 9-14 field goals overall. He scored the final 13 points for the Blazers.

The two and a half minute drought late was their third crucial fourth quarter dry spell in the last three games. Fernandez did all he could, but clearly they miss Brandon Roy, given the fourth is usually set aside for him to take over.

After a 14-point first half, Aldridge scored six points in the second half. For this team to win, especially without Roy, he has to do more than that. At least he blocked four shots, one off his career-high.

Blake had 14 points and 9 assists.

Portland was outscored 53-32 in the paint.

Howard, Martell Webster, and Andre Miller, three starters, were a combined 4-19 for 12 points. It’s a miracle the Blazers were in contention until the end with their performances.

Batum continues to do nothing wrong. He has been a coach’s dream and their best player since his return. He had a tremendous all-around game, scoring 12 points on 4-7 shooting while grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing 5 rebounds.

Brooks led Houston with 33 points and 7 assists. Landry added 21 points and Ariza and Scola chipped in twelve apiece. The Rockets lived at the free-throw line, taking 43 free-throws and making 29 of them.

Boxscore of 104-100 loss to Rockets:

The Flying Frenchman flew through the air, rose over Utah forward Mehmet Okur, and slammed, giving Portland their third and fourth points in emphatic fashion. He followed with a three-pointer, a jumper after forward Carlos Boozer went after his once-injured and now pain-free shoulder, and then a driving layup to pull the Blazers into double-digits. He was decked into the photographers’ well as he slammed his fifth field goal to end the period, leading to a prolonged chorus of boos from the Rose Garden crowd directed towards the blind referees. He had 11 points and looked very smooth in his first lengthy stint since returning from surgery, but he was the only one producing for Portland. As a team in the opening period, they scored 16 points on 7-28 shooting, while the Jazz piled up a whopping 36 points while missing only three field goals.

Utah doubled Portland’s score early in the second, going on one of their many first half runs following a smooth crossover jumper by Batum. The Jazz continued to live in the paint, while hitting a few outside jumpers as well to take a 17-point lead into halftime. In the first two periods, there was a field goal percentage discrepancy of 38 percent. Obviously, by their 24 makes in 33 attempts, the Jazz was the team leading that category, but as most early leads are, this one was far from safe.

The scoring in the second half for Portland started like it ended in the first. LaMarcus Aldridge received a lob from Andre Miller and, in the midst of banking in a layup, was shoved to the floor. No call was made, to the Blazers dismay, as Aldridge had a this-is-ridiculous smile while picking himself off the ground and trotting upcourt. It appeared it would be that kind of night for Portland.

Then, it appeared it wouldn’t be. The Blazers climbed back in with widespread aggressiveness. They stringed together a few baskets, managed to stop the Jazz a few times, and what was the result? A drastically slimmed Utah lead. Martell Webster, who vowed to donate $1,000 to Haiti for every point he scored in this contest, drove to the rim for the ravaged island and hit two free-throws. Aldridge followed with solid perimeter defense on Paul Millsap that forced a shot-clock violation, and then Webster added three more thousand to his relief fund, watching Ronnie Brewer fall for the ball-fake and fly by on the baseline before setting his feet and canning his first three-pointer of the game.

Right after that play, a play that drew Portland within single digits for the first time since it was 8-0, announcer Mike Barrett announced that Boozer, who scored 14 points on 5-5 shooting in the first half, would not return due to a strained calf. Everything was going Portland’s way. Momentum had swung so far in their favor that they took the lead, the Jazz would have a tough time grabbing it back. Webster hit another three-pointer, this one from the top, to bring the Blazers to within seven, 74-67, with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

They couldn’t build upon this momentum, however, and wouldn’t climb within seven again until Aldridge hit a free-throw near the nine-minute mark of the fourth. Rudy Fernandez, who was huge early in the final period, took advantage of the fact that the Jazz were already in the penalty foul-wise by draining two free-throws to make it a five-point game. Aldridge cut the margin to five once more moments later on a long two. One last run was all Portland needed to win. Unfortunately, as against New Orleans in their previous game, they ran out of gas when it mattered most.

Aldridge’s jumper came with 5:48 left. Their next points, a layup by Juwan Howard, came with 1:39 left. It was deja vu for Portland drought-wise, but this one was understandable. They rallied from 26 points down on the backs of everyone and struck fear into the hearts of the Jazz and jubilation into the hearts of their sellout crowd. As the dagger was thrust into Portland’s heart in the form of a three-pointer by Kyle Korver, I immediately saw the loss as a tough one, given that their next two games are against Houston and Dallas and that the Western Conference is tightly-knit and stacked. But it could have been a lot worse if not for their valiant comeback, a tremendous effort that came up just short.

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Game Notes:

Batum didn’t score in the second half, which, considering his first half impact, makes their resiliency that much more impressive. Utah head coach Jerry Sloan said following the game, “I didn’t think he would ever miss.” It’s a pity he wasn’t more involved in the second half. His seven field goals tied a career-high.

Webster, Blake, Fernandez, and Miller began the contest a combined 0-18 from the field. The quartet finished 8-39.

Aldridge struggled mightily in the first half, but ended up being the Blazers star, scoring 25 points on 10-24 shooting. He also had 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

Webster raised $14,000 for Haiti on 4-14 shooting. Hopefully he’ll do this again, and again, and again, and play a lot better.

Eight of Howard’s 11 rebounds were offensive. He couldn’t find any openings to hit his jumper, taking just four shots and hitting one.

Remarkably, the Blazers had 35 points on 21 Jazz turnovers. Their capitalization fueled their furious run back into contention.

Portland made only 5 of 24 three-pointers. They missed 9 of 11 first half attempts.

The Jazz shot 60 percent from the field. Point guard Deron Williams led six players in double figures with 24 points. Utah had 27 assists on 38 field goals and had 48 points in the paint, a small number given the clinic they put on in the first half.

Worth noting: Brandon Roy will miss the upcoming two-game road trip.

Boxscore:

Nicolas Batum made his first appearance of the season admittedly more nervous than he was before his first NBA game and didn’t waste any time making his mark. Upon entering to a standing ovation to begin the second quarter, The Flying Frenchman glided into the lane and hit a layup, testing his shoulder immediately. The crowd gave him a resounding applause as he sped upcourt. There would be more where this came from as he teamed up with Jerryd Bayless, who was also returning from injury, to lead the Blazers back into contention. Bayless drove in for a layup and then sped in for another on a fastbreak. Batum fed Howard for a layup after grabbing an offensive rebound and then grabbed a lob from Bayless for a lay-in to cut a deficit that was sixteen to three. Bayless whittled it to two two plays later, hitting a three-pointer, then Batum did so again, driving coast-to-coast for a aggressive layup.

The bench that scored 25 points in the first half gave way to the starters moments later as LaMarcus Aldridge gave Portland the lead with a short jumper. They took an advantage into the break, an advantage that was lost then regained in a back-and-forth third quarter. The period featured a plethora of three-pointers early by both teams, a 7-0 run late by New Orleans to nab a one-point lead, then a tip-in by Aldridge off a miss by Howard to give Portland a 73-72 lead and cap off a quarter in which the Blazers failed to draw a foul.

Still, despite the lack of aggressiveness, the lead was theirs entering the final period, a lead that was lengthened once more by the bench’s energy. Bayless hit a long two over rookie Darren Collison and then came a classic play by Rudy Fernandez. Properly nicknamed “The Magician”, Fernandez used a Howard screen to drive halfway to the hoop, then as Howard turned around, used his lateral quickness to spin back towards the three-point line. He received a pass from Bayless and hoisted a in-rhythm 25-footer that swished through. That catch-and-shoot tied the contest at 78-all, but the tie would soon be broken on another extraordinary play by Fernandez. Deliberately clubbed with an elbow by Hornets fiery forward David West coming off a screen, he shook off the hit, drove into the lane, took another hit, this time by Emeka Okafor, and managed to hit a high-arching floater. He took a knee to the head on the play, and it wouldn’t be the last time his noggin would get crushed.

Midway through the fourth, Fernandez and Andre Miller ran the fastbreak to perfection. Holding a seven-point lead, Fernandez got back at West, picking his pocket, then streamed downcourt with Miller at his side. As the Hornets backpedalled, Fernandez passed to Miller on his way to the hoop and immediately received a touch pass from the point guard and layed in the Blazers 88th and 89th points.

Annoyed by his impact, Hornets talented rookie guard Marcus Thornton turned Rudy’s smile following the layup into a dazed frown, raking the Spaniard across the face, flattening him to the ground. A flagrant-one foul was called, and Fernandez hit two free-throws. Presumably, this play that fired up the crowd would fire up the Blazers, but no such thing happened.

Portland could get nothing going during the most important time of the game as the Hornets hit big shot after big shot. A pair of missed jumpers following the flagrant foul led to a layup and a free-throw by star Chris Paul and only the eighth three-pointer of the season by Collison. A shot-clock violation by the Blazers after that preceded a jumper by Collison from Paul, silencing the once rambunctious crowd by notching a tie at 96 with two minutes left.

The Blazers managed to score for the first time in nearly two minutes, but it was just the back end of two free-throws by Miller. Who knew that would be the last point they would score.

Martell Webster grabbed a missed floater by Paul, giving Portland a chance to lengthen their one-point lead, but they fought the shot-clock once more and the possession ended with a frantic miss by Miller. West snatched the board and the Hornets, even with a timeout at their disposal, decided to go for the lead on the fly as the game-clock dwindled under seven seconds. Paul drove into the key, slipped, and fell to the floor. West corralled the heads-up pass from the Hornets guard, saw a double-team with just over four seconds remaining, and then passed back to Paul, who had staggered to his feet and was left wide open.

If there was a player on New Orleans not to leave open, it was Paul. They did and he made them pay, draining a 16-footer from the angle, giving the Hornets a one-point lead with a tad under four ticks left.

Portland, inbounding the ball at mid-court, had plenty of time to get a good look. Bayless was inserted into the game because of his driving ability, and after receiving the inbounds pass, he tried to drive into the lane but it was clogged. Draped by two defenders, he was forced to pull back out. With the clock at one second, he hoisted a fall-away two over outstretched hands. The shot looked good, but as he fell to the ground, it clanged off the rim and did the same. With that, the Blazers had lost a heartbreaker, a loss that can be blamed on their dreadful play down the stretch and their inability to cover Paul when it mattered most.

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Game Notes:

Portland scored one point over the final three minutes and 25 seconds. They missed all six of their shots while the Hornets tallied 10 of the contest’s last eleven points.

Paul did much more than hit the dagger. He scored 24 points, dished 12 assists, grabbed 7 rebounds, and collected 5 steals. Just another day at the office for one of the game’s best.

Thornton added 19 points to the cause and West compiled 18 points and 7 rebounds for the Hornets, which shot 51 percent, made 9 three-pointers, and missed just three free-throws.

Aldridge and Howard scored 16 points apiece. Aldridge added 6 rebounds and 4 assists, while Howard grabbed 7 rebounds. Bayless and Fernandez scored 12 each. Bayless also dished 5 assists and Rudy grabbed a career-high seven rebounds, dished three assists, and collected two steals. Webster hit four three-pointers en-route to 14 points. He also blocked two shots.

Portland had 28 assists on 40 field goals, but no assists on no field goals when it counted.

Boxscore of 98-97 loss to Hornets:

During this month of January, Miller has averaged 19 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds while shooting 51 percent and playing an average of 38 minutes per game. In light of Brandon Roy’s injury, Miller has been the Blazers go-to guy, their catalyst. Without Roy, he led Portland down the stretch against Boston, propelling his team into overtime, then against Detroit, he dished 9 first half assists and finished with 13 in the win. Given his recent success and how valuable his leadership and style of play are, the Blazers have no intention of trading him.

In an article by The Oregonian’s Jason Quick titled “Andre Miller is no longer a point of contention,” General Manager Kevin Pritchard said definitively,”We have no interest in trading Andre Miller. Zero. None. Write it.” They may have had preliminary discussions about trading him earlier in the year, given the altercation and Roy’s apparent preference for Steve Blake, but now, with Roy and Jerryd Bayless out, trading Miller even for frontcourt size would be an unwise decision. He has meant too much to the team’s success.

The fabricated rumors of late involving Miller that fueled the refutations by Pritchard are classic examples of why they are no more than fabrications, opinionated suggestions from rival executives, sportswriters, and executives, that have little else to do besides stir up rumors and make sites like Hoopshype popular.

Miller’s frustration culminated with the exchange with McMillan. He was disappointed with his role. Now he’s happy, as his play suggests, giving Pritchard good reason to permanently take him off a market he may have never actually been on.

On another good note, small forward Nicolas Batum will be back in action tonight against the New Orleans Hornets. Approximately two weeks ago he told Blazers fans everywhere that he would return against the Hornets, and now he is expected to see 3-5 minutes per half, according to The Columbian’s Brian T. Smith, in his first game of the season.

Here is a hilarious interview conducted by injured forward Travis Outlaw two weeks ago with Batum during practice. Batum has bulked up during rehabilitation, so much so that Portland has flirted with the idea of using him at power forward in some sets. He’s not the only one that has added some meat to his bones. Clearly posing with a flexed arm, Outlaw’s biceps are abnormally huge, and he looks nothing like the wiry thin player of earlier this season, a credit to his dedicated rehab and strength training.

First it was the “we have no interest in trading Andre Miller” statement from Pritchard. Second, it was Batum’s return. Third, it was Outlaw’s muscular physique. And a fourth good note: According to Smith, Bayless has been cleared to play for tonight’s contest against the Hornets after missing one game due to a sprained ankle suffered against Boston.

Martell Webster provided an electrifying jolt in the first half against the Detroit Pistons, scoring 21 points. Fifteen of those points came from beyond the arc, as Portland’s guard continued his January to remember. In exploding for this impressive point total, he toyed with rookie forward Austin Daye, scoring eight straight points against him by nailing two three-pointers and throwing down a lob from Miller to give the Blazers a 16-point advantage at the three-minute mark of the second quarter. At the break, thanks in large part to Webster’s production, as well as that of Fernandez, who had 9 points in a lengthy stint, Portland held a 14-point lead.

In that first half, the Blazers assisted on 20 of their 24 field goals. Steve Blake had nine assists and backcourt-mate Andre Miller had eight. They shot nearly 60 percent in the opening two quarters, while the Pistons lived up to the boos spouted from their angry fan-base. Then, everything changed.

Detroit is usually a very physical team defensively. They weren’t in the first half, as Webster’s defenders had difficulties finding him, but they picked up the intensity in the second. The refs, knowing the Pistons like to play physical, let everything go. They were hand-checking the Blazers, pulling on jerseys, impeding their progress every way possible, while the striped shirts just stood there, whistle in mouth, refusing to blow.

While Portland was getting mauled, Detroit used their over-physicality defensively to fuel their offense. They scored 10 of the third quarter’s first 14 points, whittling the deficit down to eight, then, as their unbelievably illegal tactics defensively continued, went on a 11-0 run, capped by a offensive rebound and putback by power forward Chris Wilcox to grab the lead.

LaMarcus Aldridge hit two big jumpers to stop the bleeding, putting the Blazers up by three, 66-63, but Villanueva cut the margin to one on their next possession. Then, a physical game turned crazy. Off a missed three-pointer by Villanueva, Webster grabbed the rebound and tossed the ball downcourt to Fernandez, who was streaking towards the rim. Villanueva tracked him down, wrapped him up, then inexplicably threw him to the floor. Rudy, who has had a bad back since a similarly bush-league play by former Los Angeles Laker Trevor Ariza, lay on the ground while Juwan Howard stepped in to protect his writhing teammate.

The other four Blazers went after Villanueva as well, but their roles were minimal compared to the altercation between Old Man River and the player announcer Mike Barrett said was “half nuts.” Barrett’s jab at Villanueva may have been an understatement, as the Pistons forward faced a barking Howard and lashed out by grabbing at his throat. He was immediately shoved back by Howard as teammates from both sides entered the fray, many trying to put a halt to the fracas.

After order was restored, Villanueva was all but tossed, receiving a technical for his anger and a flagrant 1 foul for his unnecessary roughness that put him right up there with Ariza on the Most Hated List. Fernandez shrugged off the takedown and hit two free-throws. For the rest of the quarter, the refs tried to make up for their woeful officiating that led to The Charlie Villanueva Play, while the Pistons continued to take cheap shots at Fernandez. Five fouls were called in the final minute and a half, and Fernandez was pushed in the back three times, which resulted in six free-throws for the Spaniard and a five-point Blazers lead entering the final period.

Both teams now played like they hated each other, and what ensued was an emotional, back-and-forth battle for the remaining twelve minutes. Detroit cut Portland’s lead to one, 74-73, by scoring the first four points of the quarter. Miller ended a two-minute scoring drought, feeding a uncovered Aldridge for a dunk. The team’s traded scores, then Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey sped in for a layup to tie the contest at 78-apiece.

Villanueva followed by nearly flattening Webster as the guard tried to break the tie with a slam. With Webster in mid-flight and vulnerable, Enemy Number One slapped the 23-year old on the arm hard, which would have sent him to the floor if his foot hadn’t touched down for support. Following the near-scare, Webster canned the two free-throws, then after Villanueva answered with a jumper, Miller drove baseline and found him for three from the corner to tie a career-high of 26 points.

The Blazers offense then went cold as the Pistons managed to play solid, clean defense. A scoring drought of almost three minutes allowed Detroit to score seven-straight and nab the lead, but in this second half full of runs by both teams, Portland answered. Aldridge was fouled hard by Ben Wallace, laughed off the contact, and drained a fade-away jumper in his face, igniting a tremendous, albeit small run that featured a strong layup by Miller and a three-pointer by Blake.

The Pistons managed to regain the lead on a three-pointer by Richard Hamilton with a minute and a half left, but the Blazers took it right back as Miller, going nowhere with the shot-clock winding down, was bailed out by a bone-headed foul committed by Wallace and hit two free-throws.

Portland was in front and lengthened the margin to three after an excellent play by Aldridge. Tayshaun Prince tried to pass off to Hamilton, who was coming off a screen in the lane, but he led Detroit’s guard too much. Aldridge tipped the pass and Webster snagged the loose ball. He was fouled and hit two free-throws, yet the Pistons were still only a three-pointer away from notching a tie. Hamilton missed a three, then Villanueva missed his attempt. Howard grabbed the rebound, but could not do what Miller and Webster did before him. The 83 percent career free-throw shooter missed a pair at the stripe. The Pistons would get another chance.

Stuckey drove downcourt and pulled up from the top, but his good look rimmed out and Aldridge grabbed the board. Needing one free-throw to give Portland a hard-fought and well-earned win, he missed the first. The suspense had consumed the Blazers on the bench and assistant coach Monty Williams, who stood watching in nervous anticipation. As Aldridge’s second free-throw swished through, Williams breathed a sigh of relief while the five Blazers unlocked arms and let the emotional, overly physical, and excruciatingly suspenseful win sink in.

Rudy Fernandez, Dante Cunningham, and Patty Mills look on with Aldridge on the line.

(Photo Courtesy of A Stern Warning)

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Game Notes:

Webster set a new career-high with 28 points. He made 9-19 field goal attempts, including 6 of 13 three-pointers. He also grabbed seven rebounds.

Aldridge added 21 points, 8 rebounds, and one big steal.

Fernandez had a very interesting night, to say the least. He 19 points, made all ten free-throws attempted, and now has one very sore back. He also committed a foul in the fourth trying to block a layup attempt by Villanueva. Of course, he fell on his back trying to get revenge.

A day after scoring 28 points, Miller scored 11 points. Blake added 11 as well. Miller had 13 assists. Blake had 10 assists. Miller committed the only two turnovers between the two.

The Blazers made only 10 field goals in the second half. They had 27 assists on their 34 field goals overall and shot 48 percent from the field. All nine of Webster’s field goals were assisted.

Hamilton led the Pistons with 26 points. Stuckey added 20 points. Villanueva contributed 17 points. To my delight, he missed eight of nine three-pointers and was 7-18 overall for Detroit, which shot just 43 percent from the floor.

Worth noting: Mills was recalled in light of the sprained ankle suffered last night by Jerryd Bayless. He was on a plane to travel with the Idaho Stampede when he received a call from the Blazers. He did not play in tonight’s game. Also, Batum is hoping to play in Monday’s contest against the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden.

Also, an amazing stat provided by Rip City Project: 82 percent of Webster’s baskets this season have been assisted, the fifth highest mark in the league among players who play 25-plus minutes.

Without Brandon Roy, Miller teamed up with power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and fellow guard Jerryd Bayless to score 40 of Portland’s 50 first-half points. Remarkably, with the Celtics near full strength in light of Garnett’s return, the injury-riddled Blazers were down only five at the break. Soon, they weren’t behind at all.

After Martell Webster went on his usual third-quarter spurt, scoring their first six points, after Fernandez got off the snide to hit the Blazers first three-pointer of the game, and after Boston answered their strong start with a 8-2 run, Miller found Steve Blake for three from the corner, notching his sixth assist to cut the margin to three, 72-69, a margin that would turn into a lead early in the fourth thanks to another superb play by Miller. The physical guard stole the ball from Glen Davis, sped downcourt, and drove right into center Kendrick Perkins for a layup, putting the Blazers in front by one, 77-76.

For them to be in this game was incredible. For them to actually be leading this late into the game was even more so. This being the 200th game of the season missed due to injury, Portland not only knows how to face adversity and play through the injuries suffered by half their roster, they know how to win with what they have. They were in it because they still have enough talent to do so. Miller, who has played in more than 570 straight games, led the charge.

When he wasn’t driving in for layups, Miller was doing what drew Portland within one, 82-81, halfway through the fourth, draining a 20-foot flat jumper on his tippy-toes. Without their leader, he was their leader, but the Celtics came right back as the officials swallowed their whistles. Garnett set an illegal screen that went uncalled to free Paul Pierce for three. Then Garnett traveled in the lane, a violation never called anymore, which allowed him to shovel a pass to Rajon Rondo for a layup that put the Celtics up six. They increased their advantage to eight on the ensuing possession, as Rondo waltzed in for a offensive rebound and putback.

At this juncture, 26 of the Celtics 35 field goal attempts had come in the paint, but Miller continued live inside as well. He drove in for a easy layup, then after empty possessions by both teams, wriggled in for a “how did he do that?” layup upon maneuvering around three Celtics and slipping underneath the outstretched hands of Perkins and Garnett. He was simply unbelievable, but he couldn’t do it alone.

Webster proceeded to help him out. With the shot-clock winding down, he took a pass from Howard, and launched a three-pointer from the top of the key. He canned it, bringing Portland within two with 1:45 left in the fourth. Plenty of Blazers fans showed up for this contest, many traveling from Portland, and all of them roared jubilantly along with announcers Mike Barrett and Mike Rice as the ball swished through.

Two Celtics possessions later, with the clock under a minute remaining, Rondo crossed over Webster, looked to see if the Blazers defense would converge, and when no one came, he botched a wide-open layup. The inexplicable miss fell into the hands of Howard. Out of the timeout, it was Webster once again. Plenty of time remained on the shot-clock, but with Portland wanting to leave enough time for another possession, Webster came off a screen, grabbed a pass from Howard, and drained a long-range two with Pierce blanketing him.

Miller drew an offensive foul on Pierce, stepping in front of the Celtics forward to stop his drive. Portland had one second left and lobbed a pass near the rim for Aldridge, but his attempt was short under heavy duress. The game would go to overtime, where the Blazers just ran out of gas.

Two minutes went by without a point scored by either team. Rondo ended that drought with a jumper, then Howard answered that with a tip-in. But the Blazers would only score two more points for the remainder of the extra session. After Miller notched his team’s final points of the game with just under two minutes left, Allen awoke, then Portland missed two opportunities to make his dagger an admiration.

Aldridge missed a tough foul-line jumper with 19 seconds left. The ball was batted around, and the Blazers had three chances to grab the rebound, but Allen managed to gain possession and toss ahead to Tony Allen, who made a breakaway layup. Needing a three to tie, Portland couldn’t get it. Fernandez missed and grabbed the long offensive rebound, but didn’t notice that three seconds were still on the clock, hoisting 35-footer as if time was about to expire. And with that, the game was over. The Blazers, anchored by Miller, gave everything they had, but everything they had wasn’t enough.

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Game Notes:

Miller made the close loss close, scoring a season-high 28 points. He added 8 rebounds and 8 assists as well in by far his best performance as a Blazer.

Aldridge had a double-double, scoring 19 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. But, as always, he was timid to assert himself inside, shooting jumpers instead of playing physically against Boston’s bigs.

Webster came on strong in the second half and finished with 19 points as well. Howard added 6 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, a team that received only 11 bench points on 4-19 shooting. Fernandez had six and Blake had the other five.

Pierce led Boston with 24 points before fouling out late in regulation. Rondo contributed 19 points and 9 assists. The Celtics managed to win despite making only 16 of their last 40 field goal attempts.

Boxscore:

The Blazers had the opportunity to let Roy rest for three straight days before their game against Boston this Friday, but after how lost his team looked late against the Washington Wizards on Monday, he vowed to suit up for the 76ers. He played well before his hamstring tightened on a awkward mid-range jumper with just over a minute until halftime. Their star and leader immediately left the floor with trainer Jay Jensen and limped to the locker-room.

On Portland’s radio station 95.5 The Game, KXL Sports Director Jay Allen speculated that Roy could be on the shelf until the All-Star break, which is roughly three weeks away. It has been confirmed that he will miss the remainder of the road-trip; against the Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. To avoid another re-injury to his hamstring, it would be wise to keep him out until he feels he is near or at 100 percent recovered.

Jerryd Bayless, who started in place of Roy earlier this season against the San Antonio Spurs and scored 31 points, led the attack against Philadelphia, tallying 16 of his 18 points in the final period. He will continue to start in Roy’s stead. If he can continue to play as he did in their win over the 76ers it will help ease Roy’s pain, both metaphorically and realistically.

Update: General Manager Kevin Pritchard said “Roy will miss at least seven days,” according to The Columbian’s Brian T. Smith. In that same article, Smith says that Roy will “receive an infusion of protein rich plasma…in the attempt to heal his strained right hamstring.”

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To turn your frown upside-down, some good news came out of Portland today. Nicolas Batum was medically cleared to return and played in contact practice for the first time since injuring his right shoulder this past summer. He had surgery on the torn labrum, then bulked up while rehabbing; he put on such a substantial amount of muscle that the Blazers may use the skilled defender at power forward in some sets.

In that article, Freeman writes: “The Blazers did not have enough able bodies to run through five-on-five drills, so Batum went through two-on-two work with Steve Blake, Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph. After at least 20 minutes, Batum halted play and walked away from the workout favoring his right shoulder and grimacing.” Batum thought little of the incident after practice and was “encouraged” by his play in more than 20 minutes on the floor.

He is hoping to return Monday against the New Orleans Hornets at the Rose Garden.

It was the Andre Miller and Juwan Howard Show in the third quarter. Everything was run through one or the other, with Miller driving inside for layups and jumpers in the post, and Howard hitting his jumper. The duo scored 20 of the team’s 24 points in the third period, with Miller motivated in his return to Philadelphia and Howard doing his gamely duty. Though they dominated and did all the heavy work for Portland, the 76ers managed to outscore the Blazers in the quarter, cutting a five-point halftime margin to three entering the final period.

Jerryd Bayless, in place of Martell Webster, who missed the final seven shots he took and finished 1-9 from the floor, scored two of the four third-quarter points not tallied by Miller and Howard, and continued his aggressiveness in the fourth. After Philadelphia scored the first six points of the period to take a two-point advantage, Bayless hit a jumper to begin his memorable frame. The Sixers missed three times on their ensuing possession, and as the third fell off the rim, Bayless streaked downcourt, took a transition pass from Howard, and glided in for an uncontested layup. The next layup he made, which came after another empty trip for Philadelphia, was much tougher, as he manuevered underneath a leaping Sixers defense for a acrobatic two to put Portland ahead by four, 77-73, not four minutes into the quarter. On Philadelphia’s inbounds following a timeout, he tracked guard Allen Iverson and swiped the pass, zoomed downcourt, and skied for a third-consecutive layup.

With that Bayless scored eight points in two and a half minutes time. Now it was his teammates turn to get into the act. Howard hit his mid-range jumper on a pass from Miller, then after a 4-0 run by the Sixers whittled the Blazers lead to two, LaMarcus Aldridge hit a long two on a possession made possible by Miller’s ability to win a jump-ball seconds earlier.

Then, following a runner by Bayless, the power forward showed his doubters how aggressive he can be. Criticized for his lack of toughness offensively, he lightly shoved lanky 7-footer Samuel Dalembert aside, grabbed a missed three-pointer by Bayless that caromed off the rim, dunked, then let out a yelp of content. Just as Miller and Howard were in the third and how Bayless was earlier in the fourth, Aldridge was in a zone when the Blazers needed points most.

During a time usually set aside for Roy, Aldridge made amends for his missing-in-action performance in the fourth quarter in Washington and carried his team late, a flurry capped by the play of the game. Miller was doubled beyond the three-point line on the left wing. Rudy Fernandez, who had a hop to his step in the first half, called for the ball in the middle of the paint, noticing Aldridge was a mere ten feet away on the right angle. As Miller passed out of the trap to Fernandez, Aldridge cut to the basket. Fernandez then did what he had planned, threading a no-look pass to Aldridge, who took the bump from guard Jrue Holiday and flipped in a layup. He made the free-throw, completing the three-point play, and though plenty of time remained for the Sixers, this effort put away their wily opponent.

Portland hit eight-straight free-throws down the stretch and benefited from two costly turnovers committed by Philadelphia to win by the final tally of 98-90. So many players were responsible for their resilliency without Roy. It was the dynamic foursome of Miller, Howard, Bayless and Aldridge, a group that scored 47 of the team’s 51 second half points. After the monumental win McMillan said “We’re going with what’s hot.” These four Blazers were, leading a team without their leader to an extremely impressive victory.

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Game Notes:

Roy had 10 points before exiting. The Oregonian’s Jason Quick reported after the game that he will likely miss the next two games.

Miller had 16 of his 24 points in the second half. He was 8-17 from the field and was a floor general in every sense of the term.

Bayless had 16 fourth-quarter points and scored all 18 of his points in the second half. He was in a ‘there’s no way we’re losing this game’ mode late, possessing an intensity the Blazers will need consistently from their budding star.

Aldridge had those two big baskets late and finished with 23 points on 8-13 shooting to compliment his 9 rebounds and 4 assists.

Howard added 8 points and 8 rebounds, giving the Blazers what he always has from the center position.

Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 23 points. No one else scored more than 13 points. Philadelphia stuck close with a lot of field goals on broken plays, and benefited from 12 offensive rebounds.

Worth noting: Dalembert was in his native Haiti earlier in the day helping those devastated by two earthquakes, then hopped on a plane, and sprinted through the tunnel to warm up five minutes before tip-off. He stretched a bit, took a few shots, then after fighting jet-lag for the first half, had a tremendous third quarter in which he grabbed 8 rebounds and scored 7 points. He, who lived in Port-Au-Prince, the hardest hit portion of Haiti, finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds.

The Blazers have now won 43 straight games when holding their opponent to 90 points or less.

They were sluggish to start, squandering an early lead and only managing 38 points by halftime. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 12 points and 6 rebounds, and many of his teammates contributed offensively, but one player was buried at the end of the stat-sheet: Andre Miller, who had only two points heading into the third period.

Portland was strictly an outside-shooting team in the first two frames, missing 19 jump-shots from twelve-feet and beyond. In the third, Miller took the Blazers into the paint to wake up his previously tentative team, and did it ever pay off.

The quarter began with Roy’s replacement Jerryd Bayless dishing his fifth and sixth assists, finding Juwan “Old Man River” Howard for his usual jumper and Martell Webster for an inside bucket. It wasn’t until after Aldridge tipped in the 3,999 and 4,000th of his career and faded over a bigger Brendan Haywood that Miller got into the act. With Portland behind by ten having allowed Washington to score eleven of the quarter’s first seventeen points, Miller missed a 18-footer, but Aldridge grabbed the offensive board, then passed back to Miller, who eagerly made amends by gliding in for a layup. After two Aldridge jumpers that only cut the margin to eight, Miller showed off his passing skills. He walked the ball upcourt, saw Bayless streak down on the right side, then lobbed a pass from 35-feet near the rim. Bayless soared through the air, leaping ridiculously high above the rim, then slammed, bringing both Blazers and Wizards fans out of their seats in amazement.

Miller’s play and Bayless’s dunk increased the Blazers energy. Defensively, Portland continued to struggle, but their offense continued to click, which kept the deficit manageable. To stay within reach, their offense ran predominately through Miller. Off a make by Wizards forward Antawn Jamison, Miller drove coast-to-coast, but missed his fastbreak layup under duress. Aldridge was there, notching his seventh offensive rebound, a new career-high, and successfully tipping in the follow. After that, Miller was involved in nearly everything positive Portland did. He drained his odd-looking no-arc, flat-footed jumper at the shot-clock buzzer, cut to the hoop for a layup from Aldridge, confused Nick Young in transition with a show-and-go layup, and then crossed over his defender for a jumper. The latter of the four plays resulted in a tie game, as Steve Blake, who was fouled during Miller’s shot, made a free-throw for a 68-all deadlock

Still tied at this score as the quarter’s clock ticked under a minute, Blake drove into a crowd of Wizards, jumped in the air to make a pass, and caught himself in no-mans land. Washington came up with the loose ball, but Blake hustled back on defense, poking the ball away from Mike Miller as he dribbled upcourt. Andre Miller took the ensuing pass from Blake and capitalized on the ensuing five-on-one fastbreak situation, speeding into the lane then dropping off to Aldridge, who slammed to give the Blazers the lead. Portland increased their advantage to three entering the fourth as Webster drew contact shooting a three-pointer with a second left and made all three free-throws.

The Blazers, thanks to the 35-point third quarter in which Miller scored twelve, had the momentum in their favor, and remained in front for a better part of the fourth, led once more by Miller. He, who had scored ten straight points in the third quarter, tallied eight straight in the final quarter when all else went flat. After his second scoring outburst of the game, a run capped off by an offensive rebound and put-back at the shot-clock’s horn, Webster snuck to the corner with the Wizards in a zone-defense, took a pass from Bayless, and swished the wide-open three, giving Portland a 88-85 lead.

But that was all Portland had left in the tank. Miller, who had scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, ran out of gas and out of fouls to give. Aldridge couldn’t re-discover his offense, nor could he grab what would have been his tenth offensive rebound in the closing seconds, a ball that instead went to Caron Butler, who made a layup to end the Blazers hopes. The duo of Miller and Aldridge had done their part, as well as Webster, but the Blazers had nothing going down the stretch, the time that is usually left aside for Roy’s domination. Lacking their best player proved too much to overcome. Yet, despite the loss, Portland gave everything they had, and that’s all that can be asked.

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Game Notes:

Miller shot 10-16 for his 22 points, but due to foul trouble he only played 31 minutes. Who knows what would have happened it he hadn’t picked up his fourth at the end of the third quarter and his fifth just before Webster’s three-pointer late in the fourth. He was such an important piece when on the floor, and has been for some time.

Aldridge had a huge game as well. He added 22 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, including 9 offensive, dished two assists, and collected two steals.

Webster scored 18 points, which has become the norm for him. He made only 2-7 three-pointer, though, and the rest of the team made only one of ten from beyond the arc.

Bayless had that one incredible dunk and finished with 9 points. The Blazers needed more from Roy’s stand-in, but he did dish 8 assists, which is a great sign.

Jamison led Washington with 28 points, hitting many big shots in the fourth quarter.

Butler added 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Randy Foye, who was traded by the Blazers during the 2006 NBA Draft in exchange for Roy, did well against his former team, scoring 19 points to compliment his 5 assists.

The Blazers allowed Washington, which is ranked 30th in the NBA in points in the paint, to score 46 points inside, summing up their loss in a nutshell.

Portland’s bench was only 6-20 from the field and scored just 14 points.