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Trail Blazers-Pistons Preview

Jan 23, 2010 - 6:01 AM By KATE HEDLIN STATS Writer

Portland (26-17) at Detroit (15-26), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Without leading scorer Brandon Roy, the Portland Trail Blazers lost their last game. Now they have to be concerned about the health of Roy's backup.

The injury-plagued Trail Blazers hope to have Jerryd Bayless available Saturday night when they close a four-game road trip against the Detroit Pistons.

Roy missed Portland's 98-95 overtime loss to Boston on Friday, the first of four games he's expected to sit out because of a right hamstring injury. The Trail Blazers (26-18) said the two-time All-Star will be re-evaluated on Thursday.

Roy, who leads Portland with 23.1 points per game, originally suffered the injury in a home win over Milwaukee on Jan. 13. After missing the next two games, he returned Wednesday in a 98-90 win over Philadelphia, scoring only 10 points in 18-plus minutes.

Bayless started for Roy against the Celtics, but left in the third quarter with a sprained ankle, finishing with 12 points. It's not immediately known if the former Arizona star will play versus the Pistons.

The Blazers, already without centers Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden (season-ending knee injuries) among others, have still remained competitive. Without Roy, though, Portland shot just 38.2 percent in Boston, and trailed most of the way.

Looking for a split on their road trip, the Blazers have alternated wins and losses in their last seven visits to The Palace of Auburn Hills. Roy had 19 points in Portland's last game there, a 96-85 victory on Nov. 30, 2008.

Portland dropped to 2-2 this season minus their offensive sparkplug. After the Celtics took a 96-95 lead, LaMarcus Aldridge missed a 3-pointer before the Celtics put the game away on a late breakaway dunk.

Aldridge finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Andre Miller, who came in averaging 12.9 points, scored a season-high 28.

While Portland is struggling, the Pistons appear to be having deeper issues.

Detroit (15-27) trailed by 12 at the end of the first quarter, and fell 105-93 to Indiana on Friday. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 27 points.

Tayshaun Prince returned after missing the previous six games with a knee injury. However, he finished with just seven points on 3-of-12 shooting, and got into a heated exchange with first-year coach John Kuester during a fourth-quarter timeout.

"Don't even ask me about that. Y'all will just change my words anyway," said Prince, who missed 26 games in November and December with a back injury. He had started all 82 games each of the last five seasons.

The Pistons have won four of six following a 13-game skid from Dec. 15-Jan. 11, but Kuester appeared to take Friday's loss personally.

"I'm very disappointed," he said in a post-game press conference that lasted less than 60 seconds. "We talked about this before the game, and it shouldn't have happened."

The Blazers beat Detroit 87-81 on Nov. 18 in Portland. Roy and Aldridge each scored 20 points in the win, while Rodney Stuckey had 21 for the Pistons, who were without Hamilton and Prince.