With Roy sidelined, Blazers roll over Magic

By Kerry Eggers, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday January 16, 2010 2:19AM

PORTLAND, Ore -- The Trail Blazers hit the midway point of the regular season with just the right kind of performance Friday night at the Rose Garden.

Minus injured franchise player Brandon Roy, Portland took out the Orlando Magic early and rolled to a 102-87 victory.

It was the end of a run in which the Blazers (25-16) played nine of 10 games at home. Portland was 6-4 in those games despite missing a legion of injured regulars, including Greg Oden, Joel Przybilla, Travis Outlaw and Nicolas Batum.

"The guys keep rising to the occasion," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "It's been a collective effort. We just keep stepping up."

The Magic (26-14), losing for the sixth time in eight games, misplaced their 3-point shot. They were 2 of 17 from beyond the arc in the first half, 7 of 30 (.233) for the game. That from a team that entered the game sixth in the NBA in 3-point percentage at .367.

"We couldn't get anything going," Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The first half tonight was similar to the second half at Denver (in a 105-87 loss on Wednesday). It just got away from us. We got totally outplayed."

Free-throw shooting (10 of 20) hurt the Magic, but the biggest thing was the inaccuracy from 3-point range.

"Even good-shooting teams aren't on every night," Portland's Andre Miller said. "Tonight just wasn't their night."

It was Portland's, though, even without the services of Roy, who sat out the game with a tender hamstring. The Blazers jumped out to a 24-14 lead after one quarter and increased it to 52-32 at the half.

Orlando's best stretch came in the first three minutes of the second half, with a 10-2 run that closed the gap to 54-42. Portland scored the next seven points, and the Magic never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

"Great basketball by our guys," McMillan said. "Tonight it was everybody again. The first unit did a great job of establishing (itself), and the second unit got (its) rhythm in the second half."

Portland shot .471 from the field, made 11 of 21 from the 3-point line (.524), won the rebound battle 42-38 and committed only nine turnovers.

"They played tremendously," Van Gundy said. "They played as well as you can play the game ? with tremendous energy, great unselfishness and ball movement. They worked very hard defensively, and played at a speed and quickness level far exceeding ours.

"I told our (players) afterward, that was a great team we played tonight. They were fantastic."

Martell Webster led the way with 24 points ? two shy of his career high ? and nine rebounds, but he had plenty of help. Point guards Miller (19 points, nine assists) and Steve Blake (18 points, six assists) were terrific, and LaMarcus Aldridge (14 points, 14 rebounds) pounded the middle with authority.

With converted power forward Juwan Howard drawing primary coverage, Portland blanketed Orlando's Dwight Howard and held the all-star center to 11 points ? including 3 of 10 from the line ? and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes.

"It started with Howard and included Jeff (Pendergraph) and LaMarcus," McMillan said. "We tried to mix up our defense on him. The guys did a good job of beating (Dwight Howard) to a spot and making him work. The guards did a good job with double-teaming and also in defending the three. They did a great job of rotating out."

Though Orlando won the points-in-the-paint battle 44-32, much of it came in the fourth quarter when the game was decided.

"We did a good job of not letting them have anything easy in the paint," Webster said. "Everything they had down low. we made them work for. Particular guys (read: Howard) weren't going to get a shot. We executed our game plan perfectly tonight."

Or as Van Gundy put it, "Every time Dwight got good position, they fouled him. It's a game plan we've seen a lot, and when you go 3 for 10 from the line, that's a game plan you're going to continue to see."

Orlando finishes its four-game road trip Monday night at Staples Center against the Lakers, and the Magic need to get their act together. They fell into second place in the Southeast Division, a half-game behind Atlanta (26-13).

Vince Carter was 1 of 7 from the field and had five points in his 22 minutes ? Carter was 2 of 21 in his two games against Portland this season ? but he wasn't the object of Van Gundy's wrath afterward.

"When you get beat the way we did, I'm not going to start on one guy or another," the third-year Orlando coach said. "There's enough blame for the 11 of us to handle. Trying to single one guy out would be pretty difficult tonight."

• Magic: Foyle
• Trail Blazers: Batum, Oden, Outlaw, Przybilla

• Magic: Howard
• Trail Blazers: Blake

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Rose Garden, Portland, OR
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #62 Brian Forte, #60 David Guthrie
• Attendance: 20650
• Duration: 2:19