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Roy helps Blazers hand Heat 12th straight loss

Jan 19, 2008 - 4:19 AM MIAMI (Ticker) -- Brandon Roy scored 16 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Portland Trail Blazers rallied for a 98-91 victory to upstage Dwyane Wade and the lowly Miami Heat on Friday.

Travis Outlaw collected 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 14 for Portland, which completed its first season-series sweep of Miami since the 2003-04 campaign.

It was the Heat's 12th consecutive setback despite getting 37 points from Wade, who shot 14-of-29 from the floor.

After trailing by nine points to start the third quarter, the Heat rode the shoulders of Wade to gain control entering the final period. Wade poured in 20 points, including a 16-foot jumper which capped a 14-0 surge to close out the third for a 76-69 edge.

"The third quarter was probably the best quarter we've played in two years around here," Wade said. "We thought that was the turning point, but it wasn't."

But the Blazers rallied back in the fourth when Roy finished a tough hook over Wade that capped an impressive 19-2 surge with 5:01 left for an 88-78 bulge. Roy netted 14 points in the run.

"I was a little disappointed (at the start of the fourth) with the way Dwyane was just dominating our team similar to the way Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett did," Roy said. "I was like, 'If we're going to lose, at least we're going to lose giving our best effort."

Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan believes Roy's maturing process will be the key for his young squad.

"Brandon just did a nice job of finishing plays, creating offense for us," McMillan said. "He's growing up. He knew this was a big game. This is the second game where he's gone up against some talented players, Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade he responded like one of those guys - like an All-Star (who says) 'I'm going to carry this team. I'm not going to let this team lose.' You could see it in his face."

"I've played well in the fourth quarter at home, but to come on the road when a guy - an All-Star like Dwyane Wade - puts on the kind of performance that he does, and the way we were able to answer the bell, I think this ranks No. 1 on my list," Roy said.

Ricky Davis and Jason Williams both drilled 3-pointers to bring the Heat within 90-88 at the two-minute mark. However, Outlaw and James Jones connected on key shots in the waning seconds to seal the deal.

Shaquille O'Neal had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Davis added 14 points for Miami, which shot 40 percent (34-of-85) and was outscored by 14 in the fourth.

"Like Dwyane said, it was a back-and-forth battle in the fourth," O'Neal said. "Guys played hard. If we keep having efforts like that, I think we can turn this thing around. We just have to keep fighting."

Miami's losing streak is the longest since the 2001-02 season.

"We just couldn't sustain what we did in the third quarter," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "It was as well as we played in a long time from a defensive standpoint. Then in the fourth quarter, we just began to miss shots. They got back into the game and we had two good shots at tying the game. We just couldn't get over the hump."