Jackson-Blazers Bury Wizards

Jim Jackson, starting in place of suspended guard Isaiah Rider, sank a 21-foot jumper with 39.4 seconds remaining Saturday to give the Portland Trail Blazers an 82-81 victory over the Washington Wizards.

The victory was the sixth in seven games for Portland and the third straight loss all at home for the Wizards, who blew a chance to win when Terry Davis missed a layup after a nice feed from Rod Strickland with 26 seconds to play.

The Trail Blazers got the rebound and ran out the clock.

Rider, the Blazers' leading scorer, was suspended without pay for one game and fined $2,500 by the NBA for leaving the bench during an altercation Friday night at Charlotte. He stayed at the team hotel and did not attend the game.

That gave Jackson his first start of the season, and he scored 13 points with three assists and three turnovers. Brian Grant, who had a double-double by halftime, led the Blazers with 19 points and 18 rebounds.

Grant put Portland ahead 80-79 with 1:23 left when he muscled his way into the paint and had his hook rejected by Ben Wallace. The officials called goaltending, drawing a vigourous protest by Wallace.

Juwan Howard, who led Washington with 25 points, answered with a short jumper to make it 81-80 with one minute remaining. Jackson's game-winner followed.

The Trail Blazers were in the middle of their first back-to-back-to-back run in the lockout-shortened season. They lost to Charlotte and travel to Minnesota on Sunday.

Davis, averaging less than a basket a game going in, had four points and an assist in a 9-0 run that put the Wizards up 20-14 in the first quarter. Mitch Richmond was 4-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line for 12 points in the half as Washington led 45-42 at the break.

But Davis and Richmond were quiet in the second half, going a combined 0-for-5. Davis finishewith six points. Richmond had 13.

The Wizards built the lead to 10 in the third period, but a layup and a pair of dunks by Arvydas Sabonis led a 16-6 run that tied the score 63-63 late in the quarter.

The game stayed close in the fourth, with neither team leading by more than four points.

Notes: Wizards swingman Calbert Cheaney was hit in the side of the head in the second half and suffered blurred vision. He did not return. ... Washington's Otis Thorpe had a season-high eight rebounds and 14 points before fouling out with 2:53 to play. ... Portland's Rasheed Wallace, who spent his rookie year in Washington, missed his first five shots. He got his first field goal in the final four minutes and finished 1-for-7 with nine points.

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