Injury expected to keep Brandon Roy on bench for the next two games

PHILADELPHIA -- All-Star Brandon Roy most likely will miss the final two games of the Trail Blazers' East Coast trip after aggravating his balky right hamstring Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

After banking in a driving jump shot with 1:02 remaining in the first half, Roy grabbed his hamstring and grimaced as he gingerly moved to the other end of the court to play defense. Thirty-three seconds later, after Roy was unable to sprint for a fast-break chance on offense, he limped off the Wachovia Center court with team trainer Jay Jensen and did not return for the second half.

In the visiting locker room, after the Blazers defeated the 76ers 98-90, Roy's hamstring was heavily bandaged and taped.

"Odds are high that I'll miss the next two (games) just because we want to be smart with (the injury)," said Roy, who underwent treatment throughout the second half. "They don't want me to rush right back out there. I'm sure they are going to be a lot more cautious."

Officially, the Blazers are listing Roy's status as day-to-day. He said he plans to visit a doctor for further examination today, when the team is scheduled to travel to Boston, but there are no immediate plans for magnetic resonance imaging tests. Roy originally tweaked his hamstring Jan. 2 against the Golden State Warriors and missed the previous two games with a strain.

Roy lobbied to play Monday at Washington, but was overruled shortly before tipoff by coach Nate McMillan and Jensen. But after practicing Tuesday, Roy was cleared to play. He appeared sluggish from the start, failing to reveal his usual explosiveness and poise. And when he finally decided to push himself, Roy overdid it.

"I wasn't 100 percent, but I felt good enough to go out there and play," Roy said. "As the game was going, I felt like I could start picking it up more and more. And that's kind of when it happened. I was holding back a little bit on some things. When I got to the basket and I missed that left-handed layup (in the first quarter), I was like, 'Ah, it's short.' So I had to tell myself, 'Either you got to explode or you can't play.' So I started trying to play a little bit."

But a little bit proved too much.

Roy said his hamstring felt worse after the game than it felt earlier in the week, with pain shooting "all the way up" his leg, rather than lingering in one spot. Roy played 18 minutes, finishing with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.

Afterward, he limped away from the Wachovia Center resigned to live by the same sage advice he's been delivering to all the other injured Blazers this season: Be patient.

"The biggest thing now is I've got to be patient and I'm sure they're going to make me be more patient this time," he said. "I just have to listen to them and be honest with my body. Even though I feel mentally I want to play, I've got to understand if I ... feel it, I can't go out there."