Randolph helps Blazers best Bobcats

This matchup featured the worst of the East and West, as both teams came into the game in the cellar of their respective conferences.

Darius Miles returned to action for Portland after being sidelined since December 4 with a knee injury and had 14 points and nine rebounds as the Trail Blazers put an end to a four-game losing streak.

Raymond Felton led Charlotte with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, as the Bobcats dropped their third consecutive game.

Brevin Knight, Primoz Brezec and Bernard Robinson all added 14 points each in the loss. Knight also dished out a game-high nine assists.

With five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Sebastian Telfair’s jumper gave the Trail Blazers a six-point lead at 79-73.

With 2:21 remaining, Randolph scored inside and was fouled hard by Brezec, hitting the ensuing free throw, to give Portland a 87-76 lead. Randolph’s three-point play capped a 6-0 run for the Trail Blazers, where he netted all the points.

With 46 seconds left, Randolph finished a fast break with a layup for a 89-77 advantage late. He then sank two from the charity stripe with 25 seconds left, to give him the final 10 points of the game for Portland.

After leading 23-18 after the opening quarter, Portland used a 7-0 run midway through the second stanza to take a 36-24 advantage. Viktor Khryapa came off the bench to donate four points during the stretch.

The Trail Blazers took a 48-41 lead into halftime, after outscoring the Bobcats 25-23 in the second quarter. Khryapa had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor at the break. Juan Dixon added 10 points.

Down by seven points at the start of the third period, the Bobcats outscored Portland 21-16 in the quarter, to head into the final frame down two points at 64-62.

Game Notes

Portland improved to 6-19 away from home this season...Trail Blazers center Theo Ratliff missed the game because of a sprained left knee. Ha Seung-Jin started in his place and finished with no points in 11 minutes of action...Charlotte dropped to 10-17 at home this season...Jumaine Jones had nine points and nine rebounds for the Bobcats.