Roy scores 22 points, Aldridge adds 19 in Trail Blazers’ 102-79 win over Pacers
By APThursday, March 4, 2010
Roy, Aldridge help Blazers rout Pacers 102-79
PORTLAND, Ore. — Brandon Roy scored 22 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points and seven rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers cruised to a 102-79 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
Rudy Fernandez had 16 points, including five 3-pointers for Portland. Andre Miller added 12 and Jerryd Bayless had 10. The Blazers, coming off a 4-1 road trip, have scored more than 100 points in six straight games for the first time since Feb. 4-17, 1998.
Danny Granger led the Pacers with 30 points. He got very little help on the offensive end. T.J. Ford added nine and Dahntay Jones had eight. Indiana second-leading scorer Troy Murphy was just 2 of 7 from the field and Brandon Rush made 2 of 9.
The Pacers were even worse on the defensive end, particularly inside, where Aldridge made eight of 11 shots. Indiana has given up 100 or more points in 41 games this season and entered the game 24th in the league in scoring defense.
Granger bounced back after a 2-for-9 shooting night in a 122-99 loss at the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night. An All-Star in 2008-09, Granger averaged 26.6 points in the previous seven games.
Granger scored 12 in the first quarter and the Pacers led by as many as seven, but Aldridge hit his first four shots for the Blazers, and Bayless put Portland up 41-29 with a drive to the hoop. The Blazers led by as many as 15 in the second quarter, but Granger scored twice and Ford converted a runner to get the Pacers to 50-41 just before the half.
The Blazers opened up a 57-43 lead before Indiana scored a point in the third. Fernandez hit a 3-pointer to put Portland up 79-59.
NOTES: Portland signed point guard Travis Diener to fill its 15th roster spot Wednesday. Diener was waived by the Pacers on Monday. He played in just four games this season and underwent surgery on his toe in November. … The Blazers beat Indiana 102-91 on Dec. 9. They have swept the season series two years in a row. … Solomon Jones didn
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