--After a timeout with 10.8 seconds left, Portland -- down 95-94 -- got the ball in Brandon Roy's hands. Roy drove and dished to Greg Oden, who was fouled in the lane.
"I was supposed to come off a screen," Roy said. "The Bird Man (Denver's Chris Andersen) came onto me and Chauncey (Billups) stayed, so Greg was open and they called the foul. Good call. Try to make your free throws." Oden tried. He missed both.
"I stepped up there with confidence, thinking I was going to hit (them), but it didn't go that way," the 7-foot center said. "I put this loss on me. I need to step up and make those. All of us have to step up, and I didn't do it (Thursday night) with those free throws."
--The biggest bright spot for the Blazers was Rudy Fernandez, who came off the bench for 22 points -- 16 in the second half -- in just 23 minutes.
"Rudy had a rhythm," coach Nate McMillan said. "He was able to knock down some shots and keep us in the game."
In the end, though, Fernandez said it didn't matter much.
"We still lost," the second-year shooting guard from Spain said. "There's no satisfaction in that."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "These first two games, they weren't just important -- they were battles. They were two fights, and division games, which makes it even more important. There's a rivalry between us and Portland. For us to come in on their home court and get this game early in the season, that's important for us." -- Carmelo Anthony, on Denver opening the season with victories over Northwest Division rivals Utah and Portland.
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