PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- A trade, an apology from a troubled player and a wild win. Just another day for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damon Stoudamire made clutch shots at the end of regulation and overtime as the Trail Blazers capped a long day with a 97-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers, the Eastern Conference's best team.
"This is satisfying because it looked like the game was over, we had no shot at winning the game and then we come back and make the plays," Stoudamire said.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Trail Blazers dealt troublesome swingman Bonzi Wells to the Memphis Grizzlies for guard Wesley Person and a first-round pick. Wells had been stripped of his co-captaincy and benched after a run-in with coach Maurice Cheeks.
"Things happen in this league. Players come and players go," said Stoudamire, who scored 17 points. "Trying to win without Bonzi isn't a topic. We're the Portland Trail Blazers and we've got to try to win games no matter who's on our team."
Before the game, forward Zach Randolph apologized to his teammates, the organization and fans for his citation on a DUI charge Monday night, calling it an "embarrassment" and "something we don't need." He heard some jeers from the home crowd but responded with a season-high 34 points.
"I just stayed focused by thinking about the game all day," Randolph said.
Stoudamire, who has had his share of off-court troubles as well, came through on the court. He drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 87-86 with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, then forced overtime at 88-88 with a driving layup with 2.2 seconds to go.
"I attribute that (3-pointer) to my schoolyard days when you're used to having to play against guys bigger than you but you still gotta make things happen," the 5-11 Stoudamire said.
Overtime featured five lead changes, the last on Stoudamire's 17-footer from the right wing that made it 96-95 with 17 seconds to play. He ended up with the ball as Pacers forward Ron Artest slipped to the floor and threw away a pass and made a free throw with 1.1 seconds left.
Stoudamire and Rasheed Wallace scored 17 points apiece for the Trail Blazers, who have beaten the Pacers four straight times. Portland improved to 9-2 at home.
"The fact that we did not give up will make us a better team in the long run," Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said. "Even if we had lost, the fact that we rallied at the end so incredibly would have been something to build on."
Artest scored 21 points, Al Harrington added 19 off the bench and former Blazer Jermaine O'Neal had 18 and 11 rebounds for the Pacers, who fell to 1-2 on their season-high five-game road trip.
Artest and Harrington missed free throws in the final seconds of regulation that allowed Portland to tie it. Indiana was just 9-of-16 from the line.
"We shot 56 percent from the free-throw line tonight," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's tough to win against a good opponent when you're shooting that percentage. We need to do better there and bounce back."
Pacers reserve guard Anthony Johnson scored 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting. He had 10 in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer that made it 86-81 with 26 seconds to go.
Indiana's Reggie Miller was scoreless from the field until making a pair of 3-pointers in overtime, providing a 95-94 lead with 28 seconds left before Stoudamire struck.
