Final
Roy, Aldridge help Blazers rout Pacers 102-79
Mar 4, 2010 - 6:27 AM PORTLAND, Ore.(AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers brought their high-scoring ways home with them.Brandon Roy scored 22 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and seven rebounds, and the Trail Blazers continued the offensive push that carried them through a tough road swing, cruising to a 102-79 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Rudy Fernandez had 16 points, including five 3-pointers for Portland. Andre Miller added 12 and Jerryd Bayless had 10. The Blazers, coming off a 4-1 road trip, have scored more than 100 points in six straight games for the first time since Feb. 4-17, 1998.
"It's a good sign," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "To move the ball, set good screens, don't ball and fake the open man. We've got guys who can put the ball in the basket."
Danny Granger led the Pacers with 30 points. He got very little help on the offensive end. T.J. Ford added nine and Dahntay Jones had eight. Indiana second-leading scorer Troy Murphy was just 2 of 7 from the field and Brandon Rush made 2 of 9. The Pacers had 18 turnovers.
"We turned the ball over way too many times," Murphy said. "Portland did a good job defensively, but we have got to give a better effort than we did tonight."
The Pacers were even worse on the defensive end, particularly inside, where Aldridge made eight of 11 shots. Indiana has given up 100 or more points in 41 games this season and entered the game 24th in the league in scoring defense.
Granger bounced back after a 2-for-9 shooting night in a 122-99 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night. An All-Star in 2008-09, Granger averaged 26.6 points in the previous seven games.
Portland has been surging since Roy's recovery from a nagging hamstring problem, and with five wins in the last six games the Blazers have a tentative hold on the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference.
"It's a favorable schedule for us down the stretch," Miller said. "We've talked about making up some of the home games that we lost. This is a good start. We need to get some rest, get in some practice and hopefully it will lead to a good March."
Granger scored 12 in the first quarter and the Pacers led by as many as seven, but Aldridge hit his first four shots for the Blazers, and Bayless put Portland up 41-29 with a drive to the hoop. The Blazers led by as many as 15 in the second quarter, but Granger scored twice and Ford converted a runner to get the Pacers to 50-41 just before the half.
The Blazers opened up a 57-43 lead before Indiana scored a point in the third. Fernandez hit a 3-pointer to put Portland up 79-59.
"We didn't play as a team is the only thing I can say," Indiana center Roy Hibbert said. "We've been trying to figure it out all year."
NOTES: Portland signed point guard Travis Diener to fill its 15th roster spot Wednesday. Diener was waived by the Pacers on Monday. He played in just four games this season and underwent surgery on his toe in November. ... The Blazers beat Indiana 102-91 on Dec. 9. They have swept the season series two years in a row. ... Solomon Jones didn't play for Indiana after serving a one-game suspension for unspecified conduct detrimental to the team.
- NBA
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
INDIANA 26 15 21 17 79
PORTLAND 32 21 26 23 102 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: IND - DANNY GRANGER 30, T.J. FORD 9,
DAHNTAY JONES 8
POR - BRANDON ROY 22, LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE 19,
RUDY FERNANDEZ 16
Mar 4 12:26 AM - NBA
END 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
INDIANA 26 15 21 62
PORTLAND 32 21 26 79 END 3RD QTR
HIGH SCORERS AFTER 3RD QUARTER
IND - DANNY GRANGER 30, T.J. FORD 9, THREE
PLAYERS WITH 4
POR - LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE 19, BRANDON ROY 17,
ANDRE MILLER 12
Mar 3 11:54 PM - NBA
INDIANA 41
PORTLAND 53 HALFTIME
Mar 3 11:14 PM - NBA
END 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
INDIANA 26 26
PORTLAND 32 32 END 1ST QTR
HIGH SCORERS AFTER 1ST QUARTER
IND - DANNY GRANGER 12, TROY MURPHY 3,
BRANDON RUSH 3
POR - LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE 10, ANDRE MILLER 8,
BRANDON ROY 7
Mar 3 10:39 PM
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