Bobcats handed 10th straight loss

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Jamal Crawford scored 24 points in 21 minutes, helping the Portland Trail Blazers rout Charlotte 112-68 on Wednesday night for the Bocbats' 10th straight loss and the worst in franchise history. Gerald Wallace, traded to the Blazers from Charlotte last year, scored 23 points while LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 before Portland sat all of its starters in the fourth quarter. Gerald Henderson led the hapless Bobcats with 16 points. Charlotte's 44-margin of defeat topped the previous franchise-worst in a 120-80 loss at Denver last March 2. The Bobcats' losing streak is their longest since an 11-game slide from November 2007 to early January 2008. It was a season-high for points for the Blazers, and a season-low for the Bobcats. Charlotte, which has the NBA's worst record at 3-20, was coming off a 106-73 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night to open a four-game road trip. Charlotte has now lost 10 straight on the road, dropping to 1-12 away from home this season. The Blazers improved to 10-1 at the Rose Garden this season. Portland led 40-18 early in the second quarter and Crawford hit three straight 3-pointers to put the Blazers up 53-25 midway through the period. The lead was 61-35 lead by halftime, giving the Blazers their highest first-half total of the season. Portland extended the lead to 79-43 in the third on Wallace's layup and free throw. Aldridge left the game for good late in the quarter, and most of the rest of Portland's starters sat down soon thereafter. It got so bad that at one point a fan in the crowd yelled, "C'mon Charlotte! Make it a game!" The Blazers were without forward Nicolas Batum, who was out with a left knee bone bruise. Batum, averaging 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds off the bench, injured his knee in the final seconds of Portland's 93-89 loss at Utah on Monday. Batum is considered day-to-day, although coach Nate McMillan said he will miss Thursday night's game at Sacramento. His absence meant extra playing time for Craig Smith, a free agent acquired in training camp, and Elliot Williams, a rookie after missing all of last season because of injuries on both knees. Smith finished with six points and Williams had four. The Bobcats shot just 32 percent from the floor, compared to 55 percent for the Blazers. NOTES: NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin, a Bobcats' season ticket holder, attended the game. ... Bobcats GM Rich Cho was dismissed from the same position with the Blazers last summer after less than a year on the job. ... At the half, local restaurant chain Burgerville donated 54,000 to former Trail Blazer Brian Grant's foundation to fight Parkinson's disease. Grant was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2008.