Trail Blazers top Magic, 102-87, without Brandon Roy

By ANNE M. PETERSON

The Associated Press 

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Dwight Howard's off night kept the Trail Blazers from missing Brandon Roy - and knocked Orlando out of first place.

Roy was out with a sore right hamstring and Howard made just four of seven attempts from the field Friday night in Portland's 102-87 victory over the Magic.

Martell Webster led the Blazers with 24 points and nine rebounds, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson each had 15 points to lead the Magic, who fell half-game behind Atlanta in the Southeast division with the loss and the Hawks' 102-101 win over Phoenix earlier Friday night. Howard, a three-time All-Star, finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The loss also snapped Orlando's three-game win streak at the Rose Garden.

Roy was hurt during the third quarter of the Blazers' 120-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.

Leading the Blazers with 23.4 points and 5.1 assists per game, Roy has shouldered a heavy load for his injury-depleted team. Portland lost both Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla for the season, and they're still waiting the return of forwards Travis Outlaw and Nicolas Batum.

Jerryd Bayless was tapped to start in Roy's place against the Magic. When Bayless got into foul trouble early, the Blazers turned to guard Steve Blake, the team's starter last year who lost the role this season to Andre Miller.

Blake had 18 points and six assists, while Miller finished with 19 points and nine assists.

The Magic saw the return of top scorer Vince Carter, who missed three games with a sprained left shoulder.

Carter injured his shoulder last week when he collided with Washington's Andray Blatche, and also missed four games in November because of a sprained left ankle.

Carter was averaging 17.4 points, scoring in double figures in 26 of his 32 games before Friday night. Against the Blazers he had five points.

Howard was averaging 16.9 points and 13.2 rebounds.

The Blazers played smart in the first quarter and built a 22-11 lead on a 14-3 run, capped by LaMarcus Aldridge's layup.

Steve Blake hit a 3-pointer late and the Blazers led 52-32 at the half, but Blake and Dwight Howard exchanged words and shoves just before the half for offsetting technical fouls.

Carter made his first field goal, a 3-pointer, early on in the second half in the midst of a 10-2 run for the Magic that narrowed it to 54-42.

But it was short lived. The Blazers hit five straight 3-pointers, three from Martell Webster and two from Blake, to go up 80-62.

Rudy Fernandez hit a 3-pointer to make it 93-72 with just under five minutes left, and the Magic's chances for any kind of comeback slipped away.

NOTES: Orlando defeated Portland 92-83 in Orlando on Dec. 19. Roy scored 33 points. ... Blazers G/F Rudy Fernandez played in his second game since missing 19 with a sore back, and the hometown fans were still reveling in his return. One female fan held a sign reading "I love Rudy more than you do." ... The Blazers and Mercy Corps collected more than $65,000 for earthquake relief in Haiti before the game.