Roy and Aldridge help Blazers beat Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn.(AP) — A second half burst and a stronger defensive
effort sent the Portland Trail Blazers off to a good start on
their five-game road trip.

Brandon Roy scored 20 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points
and 12 rebounds, and the Trail Blazers won their third straight
with a 93-79 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday
night.

“This means a lot for us as far as momentum goes, and as far as
chemistry goes,” Aldridge said of starting a stretch where
Portland plays five games in seven days. “I think we did a great
job of making our chemistry better.”

Steve Blake and Greg Oden had 14 points each for Portland, all
of Oden’s coming in the second half.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 20 points, while O.J. Mayo scored
17.

The Grizzlies, who dropped their sixth straight, still were
without guard Allen Iverson, who left the team last weekend,
with owner Michael Heisley’s blessing, after playing three games
on the West Coast.

Memphis center Hasheem Thabeet, the No. 2 overall pick in last
year’s draft, suffered a fractured jaw late in the first quarter
when he collided with the head of teammate Zach Randolph (11
points, 12 rebounds).

The Trail Blazers have now won eight straight in the series.

Portland broke open the game with a 14-1 run in the third period
erasing a Memphis lead. The Grizzlies never really threatened
after Portland rebuilt the lead to double digits on Oden’s dunk
with 10 minutes left in the game. Oden, who was in foul trouble
in the first half, made a difference after intermission.

“I was only in there about 4 minutes,” Oden said of the first
half, “so there wasn’t enough time for me to establish myself. I
think guys kept looking for me, and I’m thankful for that.”

Randolph’s layup with 13.6 seconds left in the half tied the
game at 45.

Neither team held a lead of more than 6 in the half. There were
seven ties and 13 lead changes before the break.

Aldridge had 12 points to lead the Trail Blazers, while Roy had
10 at intermission. The pair was a combined 9-of-11 from the
field.

Gasol had 12 points for Memphis.

Portland eventually put together the 14-1 rally, extending the
Trail Blazers lead to 67-55, their largest advantage of the game
at that point. Memphis was struggling from the field, hitting
only four of its first 16 shots in the quarter.

“We just had an awful stretch,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins
said. “Four turnovers, a missed shot and then a couple of
breakdowns defensively. We just lose our concentration and focus
for that short period of time, and the next thing you know,
we’re down 10 points.”

The Grizzlies were able to whittle away at the lead, and Gasol’s
3-point play with 6.3 seconds left in the third quarter, cut the
Portland advantage to 69-61 entering the fourth.

Memphis made only 31 percent of its shots in the second half,
committed seven turnovers and allowed Portland to run
successfully.

“In the second half, we held them to 34 points, and were able to
get out and get some easy baskets,” Portland coach Nate McMillan
said. “In the first half, we had zero fastbreak points. In the
second half, we ended up with 10.”

Notes: Memphis last defeated Portland on March 29, 2007. …
Portland has won 25 straight games over NBA teams that start
with the letter M (Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee and Minnesota). …
Travis Outlaw’s tip at the end of the first half was ruled to
have come after the horn. Officials reviewed the play before
letting the ruling stand. … Memphis is 1-7 and off to its
worst start since 2005-06 when the team started 1-8. … Someone
asked Mayo about the officiating, and he shook his head. “No
comment. Gotta save my money.” … Randolph posted his fifth
straight double-double. … The Trail Blazers connected on nine
3-pointers, while Memphis made only one of its 10 from outside
the arc. Opponents have made more 3-pointers than Memphis in
every game this season.

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