Roy's layup at buzzer gives Blazers win vs. Knicks

[February 09, 2009]  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- New York's Nate Robinson couldn't watch his former teammate at Washington, Brandon Roy, in the final seconds against the Trail Blazers.

Robinson pretty much knew what was coming. Roy's finger-roll layup at the buzzer gave Portland a 109-108 victory over the Knicks on Sunday.

"At that point there is nothing you can do, just put the best defense you have on him," Robinson said. "Unfortunately, he made it."

Travis Outlaw made a jumper with 31.9 seconds left to pull Portland within one at 108-107, and Al Harrington missed a layup at the other end for New York. The Trail Blazers called a timeout with 4.3 seconds left before Roy took an inbound pass from Rudy Fernandez and drove for the winning layup.

"I got a little nervous when it started to roll to the left, because I've missed a lot of those this season," Roy said.

Robinson, on New York's bench for the final play, turned his back to the basket for Roy's shot. The two were teammates with the Huskies from 2002-05.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni saw it coming, too.

"He's going to get it," D'Antoni said. "You play as hard as you can on him and he's going to do that."

Roy, who was selected to the All-Star team as a reserve, finished with 19 points and eight assists, while Outlaw led the Blazers with 23 points. Greg Oden had 17 points and 12 rebounds for his 15th double-double of the season, and added a career-high six blocked shots.

David Lee led the Knicks with 29 points and 11 rebounds. After trailing by 13 points in the first half, the Knicks built a 17-point lead in the second.

New York was helped by its 14 3-pointers, including five straight in the third quarter. Tim Thomas made five of seven 3-point attempts and finished with 17 points. Robinson had 19 points along with Harrington.

The Trail Blazers, who had won five straight against the Knicks, were home after losing their last two on a three-game road trip. Their latest was a 102-93 loss at Oklahoma City on Friday.

The Knicks had lost three straight at Madison Square Garden going into Sunday's matinee game at the Rose Garden. But the losses came against the Lakers, the Cavaliers and the Celtics and going into the slump, and had won five of their last six.

The Trail Blazers let a 17-point, third-quarter lead dwindle away, and the Knicks went up 97-84 early in the fourth quarter after Robinson's 3-pointer.

The Blazers climbed back to 105-101 on Roy's layup with 2:15 left. After Harrington hit a 3-pointer for the Knicks, Oden and Outlaw each scored to narrow it to 108-105 with 1:10 left -- setting up the winning sequence for Portland.

Oden was confident the Blazers would come away with the win.

"I didn't have any doubts. I was just trying to stay with my guy and give him a clear path," Oden said.

The Blazers remain without starting point guard Steve Blake, who's still nursing a shoulder injury. Coach Nate McMillan said he would be evaluated for Wednesday's game against the Thunder.

Sergio Rodriguez, who has been starting at point guard during Blake's absence, hit a 3-pointer to put the Blazers up 41-29 in the first half.

The Knicks pulled within 42-40 on Harrington's 3-pointer, then tied it on Jared Jeffries' jumper. But New York couldn't pull out in front, and Portland went on to lead 59-50 at the half.

The Blazers extended their lead to 71-56 in the third quarter on LaMarcus Aldridge's dunk.

Thomas hit a 3-pointer that closed New York to 78-77 before Robinson put the team ahead with his own 3. Thomas added another 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter that gave the Knicks an 85-82 lead.

Notes: Against the Thunder on Friday, Oden was limited to just four points in 16 minutes. ... The Blazers are 9-2 at home against teams from the Eastern Conference. ... New York is 7-17 on the road, while Portland is 19-5 at home. ... Portland defeated the Knicks at Madison Square Garden 104-97 on Dec. 2.

[Associated Press; By ANNE M. PETERSON]

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