Slam Dunk Central

I think it is safe to say that Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan should get early consideration for Coach Of The Year - if he hasn’t already - for the job he has done with his team. Of course it helps if you have guard Brandon Roy on your roster and a good, complementary cast. Roy helped in extending the Trail Blazers winning streak to eight as Portland defeated the New Orleans Hornets 88-76 at the Rose Garden.Both teams exchanged leads with eleven ties in the first half, but poor shooting from both teams would find Portland with a narrow 39-37 lead at halftime. Portland’s Roy would put the Blazers up 71-66 with a 3-pointer that beat the shot clock early in the fourth quarter. The Blazers’ Channing Frye would tip in a miss to make the lead 73-66, Portland’s largest lead of the game at that point.

The Blazers’ Jarrett Jack would convert a 3-pointer to give Portland a 10-point lead with 4:28 left in the game. But New Orleans’ Tyson Chandler would dunk to cut the Blazers’ lead to 78-71, but Roy would counter with a basket, giving Portland an insurmountable lead. Portland was led by Roy with 24 points and 8 assists; Martell Webster added 13 while Steve Blake chipped in 10. David West led all New Orleans scorers with 21 points, while Chandler had a decent game, scoring 16 with 19 rebounds. Chris Paul was kept in check as he scored only 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting with 8 assists. Portland (13-12) remains home to host the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night, while New Orleans (15-10), losers of 3 of their past 4 games, hope to snap that streak when they continue north up Interstate 5 to take on the Seattle SuperSonics - also on Wednesday.