The Trail Blazers had lost back-to-back games to title contenders Boston and Los Angeles after opening up double-digit leads before beating the Clippers on Wednesday night.

"That's the difference between the top teams and those that aren't," guard Steve Blake told The Oregonian. "You have to learn to stick with it; you have to find ways to keep that intensity. That's what really hurts about this. That's one of the best teams in the league, and we have work to do."

The Trailblazers very nearly acquired Jason Kidd, according to the Star-Ledger.

Rod Thorn would only identify the team as "a midlevel team out west," but several league officials confirmed it as Portland.

The Blazers were to send Jarrett Jack and Raef LaFrentz to the Nets along with other cap-fillers for Kidd, but Kidd sabotaged the deal by publicly requesting a deal on Jan. 28.

When Kidd said he no longer wanted to play in New Jersey, Portland's management concluded that he wouldn't want to play for their club either since they aren't yet a title contender.

Portland has released the results of Brandon Roy's MRI, according to The Oregonian. The test showed that Roy aggravated a right ankle sprain against the Celtics on Sunday.

He left the game in the third quarter and originally sprained the ankle against the Mavericks on Feb. 13.

He is listed as day-to-day.

All-Star Brandon Roy was forced from Sunday's game against the Celtics with an aggravated right ankle sprain, the Associated Press is reporting.

"It's pretty sore. I'm going to get an MRI tonight," Roy said. "It's something that's been bothering me since the Dallas game before the break."

The Blazers were up by 17 in the first half but squandered the lead and the game in the second half without Roy.

Portland is sending Taurean Green to Denver for G Von Wafer, according to David Aldridge.

The Portland Trail Blazers have increased their ticket prices for the 2008-09 season, according to The Oregonian.

The team appears to be trying to capitalize on their pending playoff run and the delayed debut of top overall pick Greg Oden.

On average, ticket prices will be increased by 5 percent.

The Blazers announced Monday that James Jones will miss an additional three to five weeks with a sore left knee, according to a Yahoo Sports report.

"Originally, we felt holding him out through the All-Star break would be enough," Blazers' GM Kevin Pritchard said. "But after consulting with our medical staff, we feel an additional few weeks of rest is the best course of action."

Rudy Fernandez is enjoying success in Europe and isn't thinking about playing in the NBA.

He  who traded his draft rights to the Portland Trail Blazers.

"At this time, I am under contract with DKV Joventut, and I am only thinking about that," said Fernandez.

"There are always rumors of whether I will be in the NBA."

"Right now, I wear this jersey, I have won the Cup and I still have two more tournaments."

Brandon Roy was not in uniform against Detroit on Friday night and will most likely not be playing against Indiana on Saturday due to a death in his family, the Associated Press is reporting.

Portland Trail Blazers recalled forward Josh McRoberts from the NBA Development League's Idaho Stampede, it was announced today by Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard.

?It was a really good experience,? said McRoberts.  ?It was the first time that I?d played in a game with extended minutes in a long time, so it was good to get out there and get some game action.?

McRoberts, who was assigned to the Stampede on Jan. 9, averaged 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 26.5 minutes in eight games with the Trail Blazers' D-League affiliate.

Prior to joining the Stampede, McRoberts posted averages of 1.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 2.3 minutes in three games with the Trail Blazers this season after being selected by Portland with the 37th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

The Duke University product is the fifth player in Trail Blazers history to be assigned to the D-League.