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Pacers seek consecutive wins, host Roy-less Blazers

Feb 9, 2008 - 11:42 AM Portland (28-21) at Indiana (20-30) 7:00 pm EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- The Indiana Pacers haven't registered consecutive wins since mid-December but that can all change on Saturday.

Indiana goes in search of back-to-back victories for the first time in 2008 when it hosts the shorthanded Portland Trail Blazers.

Kareem Rush poured in 24 points off the bench to lead five others in double figures as the Pacers posted a 103-100 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

"Down the stretch, we went out and got some stops and that's been our biggest problem the last couple of games," Rush said.

Indiana's defense has allowed 100 or more points in 14 of its previous 15 outings, posting a 4-11 record over that stretch.

With All-Star Brandon Roy out due to personal reasons, the Blazers stumbled in the opener of their four-game road trip in Friday's 91-82 setback at Detroit.

Roy, who is averaging 19.7 points, was absent from the team due to a death in the family, but is expected to rejoin Portland in Houston on Monday.

"They were more aggressive and physical and forced us into some turnovers," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "At times we got outhustled. There's no excuse to come out without a sense of urgency. Brandon's a big part of this team but not the entire team."

In the first meeting, reserve Travis Outlaw scored 26 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 in Portland's 95-89 victory at the Rose Garden on November 28.