Blazers win as Miles suspended
Portland rallies to beat the Clippers; Miles to sit Tuesday
The Associated Press
January 29, 2005
PORTLAND -- Damon Stoudamire had 18 of his 22 points in the second half, and
the Portland Trail Blazers rallied for a 90-86 victory against the Los
Angeles Clippers despite the distraction of Darius Miles' suspension.
Miles was suspended by the team for two games Friday after a verbal clash
with coach Maurice Cheeks earlier this week.
The Trail Blazers would not comment on the nature of the confrontation,
except to say that there was one. According to The Oregonian newspaper, Miles
repeatedly called Cheeks a racial epithet and the forward shouted that he
didn't care if the Blazers lost 20 games in a row.
"He blew up in the film session," said Cheeks, who characterized Miles'
comments as inappropriate.
In a statement released by the Blazers, Miles said: "I would like to
apologize to all of our Trail Blazer fans for not being a part of the team
these next two games. Things were said in frustration and I am sorry for
that."
He did not apologize to Cheeks in the statement. General manager John Nash
would not comment on that, but said, "Darius will be welcomed back to the
team at the conclusion of the suspension."
Elton Brand had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who have lost six
straight and nine of 10 on the road. The Clippers haven't won in Portland
since 1999.
The Blazers, who had lost 13 of their last 16, got great defensive
performances from big men Joel Przybilla and Theo Ratliff. Przybilla had 10
points, 14 rebounds and four blocks, while Ratliff had seven blocks.
Stoudamire hit four free throws down the stretch to close it out for the
Blazers, who had trailed most of the game.
Both teams had been missing some of their scoring punch lately. Portland's
leading scorer, Zach Randloph, missed five games with a knee injury, and came
off the bench, playing just 25 minutes and scoring 14 points.
The Clippers similarly paced top scorer Corey Maggette, who didn't start for
the second game after sitting with a sore foot. Maggette, who averages 21.4
points, finished with 8.
The Blazers made just eight of their first 29 shots, but stayed close early.
The Clippers, who had six steals the middle of the second quarter, turned a
Przybilla turnover into a lay-up for Marko Jaric and a 35-24 lead.
The Clippers led 48-40 at the half, but increased went up by 12 points early
in the third.
Stoudamire, 2-of-9 shooting in the first half, scored nine points in the
third for the Blazers, who fought back to 66-63. Stoudamire hit a 21-footer
early in the fourth and Portland took a 70-69 lead.
Portland extended its lead to 85-77 with 1:56 left after two Ruben Patterson
layups.
Bobby Simmons scored 16 points for the Clippers despite 3-of-14 shooting in
the second half. Rookie Quinton Ross had 10.
Miles, who signed a six-year, $48 million contract with the Blazers in the
offseason, will also sit out Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers at
the Staples Center.
Notes: The Clippers activated C Chris Wilcox from the injured list before the
game, but he did not play. ... Blazer G Derek Anderson, who has been sitting
out with tooth problems, has undergone three root canals this week. ... A fan
held a sign that read: "Free Darius."
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