SAN ANTONIO // The Portland Trail Blazers erased an early 19-point deficit to post a 95-83 road win over the ailing San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The victory was Portland's first in San Antonio since 2002, ending an 11-game losing streak, and pulled the team into a tie for third in the Western Conference with four games remaining.
Brandon Roy, the shooting guard, had a team-high 26 points and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as the Blazers earned their 50th win of the year. "Fifty wins says a lot about our young team. It shows that we're moving forward," Roy said. "The question mark about our team was can we beat a top team on the road. To do it in April when the West is so tight is big, but we have to build on it."
Roger Mason led the Spurs, who have the same 50-28 record as Portland, with 18 points in their second game since learning they would miss their Argentine guard Manu Ginobili for the rest of the season with an ankle injury. The health of fellow All-Star Tim Duncan was also in doubt after the forward struggled to just four points and five rebounds and kept out down the stretch because of recurring knee problems.
Duncan attempted to get back in the game in the fourth quarter but the San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich told him: "I can't do it Tim - you can't move out there. I don't want a hero I want a healthy guy." Point guard Tony Parker, who has carried the load for the Spurs this season, had 17 points and seven assists as his team fell into a tie with the Houston Rockets and Blazers in the West. San Antonio led 39-20 with 9:45 left in the second but Portland upped their game and closed the half with a 27-10 run to pull within two by half-time. "We have that kind of never-quit attitude," Roy said. "We knew they would try to hit us hard early but we kept playing and this was a huge win for us."
The Blazers, already assured of their first play-off appearance since 2003, are fighting for a top- four spot in the conference and home court advantage in the first round. Elsewhere, the Cleveland Cavaliers eased closer to matching the NBA's all-time best home record with another win at the Quicken Loans Arena, this time beating the Washington Wizards 98-86. LeBron James scored 21 points before spending most of the fourth quarter on the bench with all the hard work done. Mo Williams scored 14 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 13 rebounds.
The Cavs are now two home wins short of the 40-1 record set by the Boston Celtics in 1986. With the win they also became the first team in NBA history to have two 15-game winning streaks at home in the same season. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks claimed the final play-off spot in the Western Conference with a 130-101 victory over the Utah Jazz. Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 31 points to move Dallas into a tie with Utah for seventh place.
Joe Johnson scored 30 points and was key down the stretch as the Atlanta Hawks also helped their home-court advantage chances with a 113-105 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Keith Bogans scored 22 points as the Bucks rallied to tie the game with 1:51 remaining, but a couple of key buckets from Johnson helped keep them at bay. Danny Granger scored 29 points and the Indiana Pacers had their highest point total and margin of victory of the season as they beat the Toronto Raptors 130-101.
The Boston Celtics overcame an early 10-point deficit and a last-minute scare to beat the New Jersey Nets 106-104 after a four-day rest. Rajon Rondo paced the Celtics with 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Hedo Turkoglu scored 20 points and Dwight Howard added 14 as the Orlando Magic rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 81-78, while the Phoenix Suns survived a late rally to beat the New Orleans Hornets 105-100 victory over the Hornets. Steve Nash made six free throws in the final 42 seconds as part of a 24 point tally.
Richard Hamilton scored 22 points and Rasheed Wallace had 14 points and 12 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons rolled past the New York Knicks 113-86 to move into a tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points as the Denver Nuggets won for the eighth time in a row with a 122-112 success over the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Minnesota Timberwolves won 105-97 against the Golden State Warriors, who again could only call on three players on their bench due to injuries.
* Reuters
