Fadeaway sinks Pistons

Published 7:31 am Thursday, January 8, 2009

PORTLAND – Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan was direct and simple with seconds to go against the Detroit Pistons.

“Go to work,” McMillan said, singling out Travis Outlaw during Portland’s final timeout.

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Outlaw followed his coach’s instructions, and hit a fadeaway jumper with 8.9 seconds left to give the Blazers an 84-83 victory over the Pistons on Wednesday night.

The loss snapped Detroit’s seven-game winning streak.

“It was there,” Outlaw said.

Portland, which trailed by 14 points, went ahead 79-75 with 5:37 left on Steve Blake’s 3-pointer. The Blazers led until Tayshaun Prince’s layup with 2:54 left tied it at 79, and Detroit went ahead on Allen Iverson’s layup.

After LaMarcus Aldridge hit just one of two free throws to cut it to 81-80 with 1:35 to go, Kwame Brown’s dunk put Detroit ahead 83-80. Outlaw made a hook shot to keep Portland close.

Iverson missed a layup with 22.9 seconds to go before Outlaw hit his fadeaway, and then missed a jumper with 3.9 seconds left, ending the NBA’s longest current winning streak.

“I got a good look and it just didn’t go down,” Iverson said. “I struggled all game. Even the ones I felt were good didn’t go down.”

Aldridge led the Blazers with 26 points, while Blake had 10 points and 10 assists. Outlaw finished with 14 points.

“Travis has made many, may big shots for us, and I’m sure he’ll make many more,” Aldridge said.

Prince finished with 26 points for Detroit, and Iverson had 14. Rodney Stuckey added 13 points, but had a season-high six turnovers.

“The things that we needed to go right at the end of the game went all wrong,” Iverson said. “We made a bunch of mistakes and it cost us.”

The Pistons, coming off an 88-87 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, were without center Rasheed Wallace, who missed his third straight game because of a sore right foot. Guard Richard Hamilton missed his sixth straight game with a groin injury.

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