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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 18, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 18, 2005 Portland�s Damon Stoudamire, right, drives past Utah�s Howard Eisley during the second half. AP Blazers snap losing skid Patterson leads Portland past Utah in a battle of last-place teams By ANNE M. PETERSON The Associated Press PORTLAND — Despite talk that he was done, Ruben Patterson hasn’t quite given up on the Trail Blazers. He proved it Sunday night when he scored 23 points to lead Portland to a 100-82 victory over the Utah Jazz. Just a week ago, Patterson was so disappointed with Portland’s dreary season that he demanded to be traded in the offseason and said he wouldn’t play the team’s final four games. That second threat turned out to be hollow — and Patterson was all smiles with the win. Advertisement "You guys know I was very mad the other day. We’re going to see what happens this summer," Patterson said. "I’m just going to finish the season out strong and support my teammates. We’ll see what happens. "I’m just having fun." The Blazers at 26-54 have one more win than Utah with two games left, as the teams struggle to avoid a last-place finish in the Northwest Division. The last time Portland finished last was the 1973-74 season. Damon Stoudamire had 18 points, 12 assists and made four 3-pointers, giving him a franchise record 180 this season. He surpassed Clifford Robinson, who had 178 during the 1995-96 season. Mehmet Okur had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Jazz. Matt Harpring added 11 points and 10 rebounds. "I don’t think we’ve totally bought into the team concept," Harpring said. "It’s not just the last couple of games, I think it’s been pretty much all year." The Blazers went up 54-34 in the first half on Viktor Khryapa’s layup, and went on to lead 54-39 at the half. They stretched the lead to 78-54 late in the third quarter on Patterson’s off-balance 3-pointer. The Blazers once again started Patterson, who proclaimed after last Thursday’s 102-90 loss to Dallas that he was tired of losing and wasn’t playing anymore. He apparently changed his mind by the next night and played 40 minutes in a 108-88 loss at Golden State, although he reiterated that he wants to be traded in the offseason. Patterson put on a show against the Jazz, although he and Harpring tussled briefly just before halftime. Patterson was given a technical, then kept at Harpring as time wound down. Harpring complained to an official: "I’m not talking to him." "We’re not going to the playoffs. We’re down to two games left and we just said we’re going to go out there and play hard," Patterson said. Darius Miles, who has complained of a sore neck and did not play against the Warriors, was not expected to play Sunday, but entered midway through the first quarter to boos from the Rose Garden crowd. He finished with 11 points in 30 minutes. Miles said he had been unfairly criticized for his actions, especially in the game against Dallas when he twice left the court. Steve Patterson, Portland’s team president, had several talks with Miles afterward, according to interim coach Kevin Pritchard. Many veteran Blazers have been critical of the team’s direction since coach Maurice Cheeks was fired. Pritchard, the team’s director of player personnel, temporarily took over and shifted the team’s focus toward developing young talent. Portland has since lost 21 of 25 games. Utah, hurt this season by injuries to Carlos Boozer, Raja Bell and Andrei Kirilenko, has won just five of its last 23 games. Curtis Borchardt missed his third straight game with right knee tendinitis. "If you’re not going to compete now, you’re not going to compete later on or next year," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "It’s disheartening to watch these young guys lose interest when they’re playing off the ball." Notes: Former Blazer Herm Gilliam, who played on Portland’s 1976-77 NBA Championship team, passed away Saturday, the team said. The cause of death was not immediately known. He was 58. ... The documentary film "Through the Fire," about Blazer rookie Sebastian Telfair’s senior year at Brooklyn’s Lincoln High School, will be screened this week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. ... The Jazz and Blazers split their four-game season series. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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