Reserve Portland forward Travis Outlaw couldn't get anything to go down in the first three quarters of play against Philadelphia Sunday, shooting 1-for-7 from the floor, but got down to work in the fourth quarter and led the Blazers on a 21-0 run that cemented a 97-72 victory over the 76ers.
It was a league-leading 13th consecutive win for Portland. Brandon Roy had 22 points to lead the Blazers to their second-longest winning streak in team history. Portland won 16 straight in the 1990-91 season.
Outlaw finished with 12 points, 10 of them coming in the final stanza. And it's becoming a familiar pattern for the 6-foot-9 forward, who seems to always jump out to a slow start, but still ranks third on the Blazers with an average of 14.6 points during the streak.
Trailing 63-59 in the third quarter, the Blazers went on (18-12) to hold the 76ers scoreless over the next 8:21. Philadelphia scored just nine points in the fourth quarter.
James Jones also had 12 points for the Blazers. Steve Blake added 11.
Andre Iguodala had 24 points for the 76ers, and Andre Miller added 17 points and 11 assists. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak.
The Blazers will try to extended the streak on Monday when they visit the Utah Jazz, but they'll be without coach Nate McMillan, who is attending a funeral. Assistant coach Dean Demopoulos will take over in his absence.
The youngest team in the NBA, Portland started its run with a Dec. 3 victory at Memphis after going 5-12 to start the season. Ten of the team's 13 victories have come at the Rose Garden, where the Blazers are 15-3.
Source: Xinhua/Agencies
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