Small forward out indefinitely with stress fracture in foot
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Portland Trail Blazers have won six games in a row overall and are 6-0 on the road, so coach Nate McMillan had plenty to be happy about even in a game that was not pretty.
“We made plays,” McMillan said after an 80-74 victory over Charlotte. “We got stops when we needed to. We’re scoring when we need to. We’re finding ways to win.”
Brandon Roy scored 25 points for the Blazers, and Andre Miller added 15 as Portland closed the first half with an 18-2 run against the cold-shooting Bobcats. Roy had nine points in the run, which was fueled by eight straight Charlotte misses.
“Once one dropped for me, I kind of got into a good rhythm,” Roy said. “I think it got the guys going just a little bit.”
The victory was overshadowed by the loss of Travis Outlaw, who was forced out the game with a stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot, according to the team.
Outlaw will return to Portland for further evaluation and the team said he could miss 6-8 weeks.
While Roy and the Blazers found their rhythm, the Bobcats struggled on their way to a fourth consecutive loss. Point guards Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin missed 15 of their first 18 shots before Felton canned a pair of jumpers in the game’s final minutes.
“It’s not falling,” Felton said. “We need somebody to have that breakout, no matter who it is.”
Charlotte (3-6) was held below 80 points for the fifth time this season.
The Blazers’ run at the end of the half turned around a 28-20 Charlotte lead and continued into the third quarter, when Portland eventually increased its advantage to 51-35.
“We’re up 28-20, come down on a break and Raja (Bell) has an open 15-footer,” Charlotte coach Larry Brown said. “Then, the next thing I know, they have a 16-point lead.”
Charlotte’s Boris Diaw, who had a team-high 21 points, scored 11 in a rally late in the third quarter that helped the Bobcats close within 55-51. But the Bobcats never got closer.
Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge said the Blazers overcame a poor offensive performance with a great defensive effort.
“Our guys didn’t shoot it well,” said Aldridge, who was involved in a skirmish that resulted in five players receiving technical fouls. “We believed whoever played the best defense tonight would win the game. And we did.”
With 55 seconds remaining in the game and Portland leading 73-68, the Blazers missed a shot and players scuffled for the rebound. That was when the altercation broke out, as Aldridge and Bell became tangled up. Charlotte’s Gerald Wallace and Tyson Chandler quickly joined in, as did Roy.
“He just (el)’bowed me on purpose,” Aldridge said of Bell. “He knew I was right there. He looked at me and he ’bowed me.” I think that’s probably the maddest I’ve been.”
McMillan defended his player.
“For LaMarcus to get upset like that, somebody did something dirty,” McMillan said. “For him to respond that way, (somebody) did something they shouldn’t have done.”
Outlaw averaged 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 23.1 minutes through 10 games. A regular back up for Roy and Martell Webster, Outlaw has been a key contributor on a Blazers second unit that has keyed the team’s fast start. His points total ranked third on the Blazers.
Outlaw’s place in the rotation will likely be filled by committee, with players such as Juwan Howard and rookie Dante Cunningham picking up minutes.
