*Spurs rout Blazers, lose Duncan*
By Brian Guerra PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) - An injury to Tim Duncan hardly bothered the San Antonio Spurs.
Tony Parker scored 18 of his 27 points in the first half, leading the Spurs to a 100-79 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
But the biggest story of this one was Duncan, who went down awkwardly while jockeying for position against James Jones with 7:40 left in the second quarter.
"I didn't get tangled with him," Jones said. "I was just standing up. He slipped."
Duncan stayed on the ground clutching his right knee before teammates helped him to the locker room. The former MVP suffered a knee contusion and sprained right ankle. The Spurs confirmed all of Duncan's ligaments appeared to be stable, and X-rays were negative. He will undergo an MRI on Monday.
"It's more scary than anything else, at least that's what I'm hoping," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "He wants to see what the pictures say, but he's pretty upbeat. I hope if it is of any consequence, it won't be for very long, but he'll probably miss a little bit of time."
The Spurs held a six-point lead when Duncan left the game, but used an 8-2 surge over the next three minutes to extend the lead to 42-30.
Blazers coach Nate McMillan said the game changed when Duncan left, and Parker was the reason.
"(Parker) took the game over. He got aggressive going to the basket," McMillan said. "He showed why he was the Finals MVP."
Parker's layup with 1:45 left in the second quarter gave the Spurs a 47-32 advantage.
Parker, who also had eight assists, hit a 3-pointer with 3:23 left in the third as San Antonio extended its cushion to 68-48.
Travis Outlaw had 17 points and 11 boards and Martell Webster also scored 17 for the Blazers, who lost their fourth straight game. San Antonio held an 18-2 advantage in fast-break points.
Portland's Brandon Roy, the reigning Rookie of the Year, scored just four points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Roy has been inconsistent, but he thinks he will start handling the ball more to help maintain his rhythm throughout the game.
"It's been one of those weeks for me, but it's Sunday and it's over with," Roy said. "I think it'll be back to normal Monday."
The Blazers hope so, as they have lost nine of their last 10 games.
"This is our lowest point of the season," Roy said. "It's definitely our lowest point."
