Seven losses in last eight games

Roy cold as Pacers sink Blazers

By Kerry Eggers

LocalNewsDaily.com, Nov 28, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

When one of the big guns is shut down, it’s hard for the Trail Blazers to win. And for now, Brandon Roy is shooting mostly blanks.

That was as big a factor as any in Portland’s 95-89 loss to Indiana at the Rose Garden Wednesday night, the seventh loss in eight games for the 5-10 Blazers.

Roy started fine, as he and LaMarcus Aldridge each contributed eight points early to Portland’s 18-13 first-quarter lead. From that point, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year managed only two points as he finished with 10 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

Coming off a 4-of-18 performance in Monday’s loss to Orlando, it qualifies as a mini-slump for Portland’s go-to guy. Roy had 10 rebounds and eight assists against the Pacers (8-8), “but I know I need to score for this team,” he said. “Coaches were trying to keep my confidence up, telling me I was doing other good things, but I have to hit some buckets.”

As was the case against Orlando, Portland got the jump early, leading by as many as nine points early while settling for a 46-42 halftime lead.

After Martell Webster’s 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 49-42 advantage, Indiana reeled off a 17-0 run as Portland went nearly six minutes without a point to fall behind 59-49.

“We had open looks and didn’t knock down shots in that third quarter,” Portland coach Nate McMillan said. “(The Pacers) made a run, and the momentum carried them through the fourth quarter.”

Not exactly. Behind a reserve group that included Jarrett Jack, Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez, the Blazers extended their defense and got back into the game, using a 13-0 spurt to jump in front 72-69 on Rodriguez’s trey with 8:09 remaining. But the Pacers – playing the second of back-to-back games after Tuesday’s win at Denver – had the better of it at both ends of the court the rest of the way.

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