Roy, Blazers top Knicks

Mar 23, 2007, 3:30 GMT

New York, NY - Brandon Roy scored 24 points, as the Portland Trail Blazers came away with a 92-86 victory over the New York Knicks.

Jarrett Jack scored 15 points for Portland, which embarked on a four-game road trip starting in the Big Apple and won for just the fourth time over their last 12 games. Jamaal Magloire posted 14 points and a season-high tying 16 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who are four games off the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Blazers played without leading scorer and rebounder Zach Randolph, who was granted bereavement leave by the team on Monday.

Nate Robinson scored a season-high 31 points, finishing a career-high 8- for-9 from beyond the arc for New York, which went 1-3 on its homestand to lose for the fourth time in five games overall. Stephon Marbury netted 17 points for the Knicks, who dropped back a half-game behind Indiana and Orlando for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

'Gutty performance, scrapping, execution,' Robinson said. 'We're getting shots offensively. We're moving the ball and not giving up a lot of easy baskets.'

Steve Francis grabbed 10 boards for the Knicks, who are 18-17 at Madison Square Garden this season. Forward Channing Frye (eye) and Marbury (arm) returned from injuries, while guard Quentin Richardson (back) remained sidelined. David Lee, who missed 11 games because of a right leg injury, returned to grab five rebounds.

'Not having the normal weapons on the perimeter playing as well as they played is a problem that we don't want to have,' New York coach Isaiah Thomas said.

Trailing by double digits, 84-74, just past the midway point of the final stanza, New York went on a 10-2 spurt highlighted by eight points by Robinson, to trim the deficit to just 86-84 heading down the stretch. Portland though scored the next six points to put the Knicks away.

With the score deadlocked at 16, Portland went on a 10-0 run down the stretch, snapped by Marbury's layup in the final seconds for a 26-20 lead heading into the second.

After trading three-pointers in the opening minute of the second quarter, New York went on a 12-2 run, ended by a Marbury jumper midway through the stanza, for a 35-31 lead. Portland regained control down the stretch and led 45-44 at halftime.

Eddy Curry scored on a hook shot and Frye on a jumper before Portland exploded on an 18-3 burst, finished by a Magloire free throw with 5:03 remaining. The Blazers led 69-62 heading into the fourth.

Game Notes

The Knicks had seven three-pointers in the first half...Thursday's game between Portland and New York was the second and final meeting of the regular season. The Knicks won the first matchup, 99-81, on January 3 at the Rose Garden...New York has won four of the last seven meetings...Portland snapped a three-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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