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Roy, Blazers hold off Knicks in overtime

Feb 2, 2008 - 7:53 AM PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Zach Randolph's first game against his former club also produced a first for All-Star Brandon Roy.

Roy posted his first career triple-double with 20 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers held off the New York Knicks, 94-88, in overtime on Friday night.

"It's a special feeling," Roy said. "I didn't feel like my shot was falling early, so I wanted to do everything I could to keep myself involved."

Roy tipped in his own miss with 28 seconds left in the extra period - the most crucial basket of the game - for the Trail Blazers, who outscored the Knicks, 31-19, in the fourth quarter and overtime.

"Brandon had a quiet game and yet here he is in the box score with a triple-double," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "His putback was huge. In the last quarter and in the overtime, we started to play loose and be ourselves."

The reigning Rookie of the Year and a first-time All-Star, Roy drove the right side of the lane and flipped a shot over Renaldo Balkman. After the ball skipped off the front of the rim, he outjumped everyone for the putback to make it 90-87.

"It was a gritty effort," Roy said. "We didn't make excuses when we were down, we just made it work. We never feel like we are out of any game, especially when we're at home."

"Of course, Brandon is going to be Brandon, he made some big shots," Knicks forward David Lee said. "But you have to give it to their whole team. They kept fighting and got that home-court advantage going. They did a good job when it mattered there in the fourth."

After Knicks guard Nate Robinson made 1-of-2 free throws, Jarrett Jack hit two from the line to give the Blazers a four-point lead they would not relinquish with 11.6 seconds left.

It was an unsuccessful homecoming for Randolph, who was taken 19th overall by Portland in the 2001 draft. He spent six productive seasons with the Blazers before being traded to the Knicks on draft night last June.

An unpopular figure in Portland, the 26-year-old Randolph is considered a poster boy for the team's "Jail Blazer" image in recent seasons. He was showered with boos nearly every time he touched the ball on Friday.

"It was a little surprising, but it just made me play harder," Randolph said of the disdain from the fans. "I like to win all our games, but this one would have been special. But these guys are doing a great job, and I'm happy for them. I wish them the best of luck."

It didn't seem to bother the high-scoring forward, who collected 25 points and 13 rebounds, until the fourth quarter and overtime. Randolph scored just four points in the final 17 minutes.

"I wanted to come out and be aggressive," he added. "I wanted to make a quick move and decide what I wanted to do quickly instead of just holding the ball. I feel we had this game. It slipped away."

The Knicks led for most of the game but scored just 12 points in the fourth period, allowing Blazers forward Travis Outlaw to tie the game with a jumper with 5.6 seconds left in regulation.

"All of the sudden, we just went cold," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "We didn't make shots and we didn't do a good job of executing down the stretch."

On the ensuing possession, New York guard Jamal Crawford - who shot a putrid 6-of-27 from the field, including 1-of-11 from the arc - misfired on an off-balance jumper to send the game to overtime.

"Personally, I take responsibility for this loss," Crawford said. "My team depends on me. I played awful. Zach played great and everybody else pretty much played great. I brought us down."

Lee had 14 points and 15 rebounds for New York, which fell to 0-10 against Western Conference opponents on the road. The Knicks have lost the first four contests on their current five-game Western road trip.

"We are trying to win every game we play but, unfortunately, it's not happening for us on the road," Lee said. "We took Golden State down to the wire, the Lakers, Utah down to the wire and now Portland. We just need to find a way to get these victories."