Roy’s last-second shot lifts Blazers
March 20, 2010
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Brandon Roy(notes) rebounded from a cold spell to hit a 22-footjumper with 0.9 seconds left and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the WashingtonWizards 76-74 on Friday night.
Roy, who averaged 27 points last week as the Western Conference player ofthe week, finished with 14 points for the Blazers, who have won five straight.
Mike Miller(notes) had 16 points for the Wizards, who have lost 10 straight.Washington trailed by 16 points, but pulled to 69-67 with 2:50 left after AlThornton’s(notes) dunk and free throw.
Randy Foye(notes) hit a 2-pointer with 2:11 left that gave the Wizards a 70-69lead. After Andre Miller’s(notes) free throw for Portland, Foye hit a pullup jumper toput Washington ahead 72-70.
Nicolas Batum(notes) made two free throws before Foye hit another jumper to putWashington ahead 74-72 with 1:01 left.
LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) made a pair of foul shots before Andray Blatche(notes) missed alayup. And Roy closed it out with his jumper on the other end.
Aldridge shad 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers, and Miller added 14points. Marcus Camby(notes) had 19 rebounds.
Portland appeared inexplicably sluggish after a rare four days off followinga 109-98 victory over Toronto on Sunday.
Andre Miller’s fadeaway jumper put Portland up 36-26 and the Blazers led 16points en route to a 42-30 halftime lead. Roy had 10 first-half points and Cambyhad 11 first-half rebounds.
But the Blazers struggled in the third quarter, when Roy missed 12 straightshots, and the Wizards closed the gap to 55-51 on James Singleton’s(notes) layup tostart the fourth quarter.
Earlier Friday the Wizards signed guard Shaun Livingston(notes) for the rest of theseason after playing through a pair of 10-day contracts. He originally joinedWashington on Feb. 26.
Going into the game, he averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 assists in 15 1/2 minutesin 10 games. He scored Washington’s first basket against the Blazers.
Earl Boykins(notes) did not make the trip to Portland with the Wizards because of astomach virus.
Blatche started despite spraining his left ankle in practice on Tuesday andfinished with 12 points.
NOTES: Roy arrived at the arena dressed in his University of Washingtonwarmups. Roy wore No. 3 for the Huskies and is unabashedly rooting for them inthe NCAA tournament. Washington will play New Mexico in a second-round game inSan Jose on Saturday. … Portland’s Andre Miller played in his 600thconsecutive game—the longest active streak in the NBA—on his birthday.