Roy starts against Clippers, but does not play in second half

PORTLAND — Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy started Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Rose Garden.

However, Roy retreated to the locker room following the first quarter, after his strained right hamstring tightened up again. He did not return to action in the second half, and spent the remainder of the game on the bench in warmup clothes.

Roy looked hesitant when running the court, and he had a slight hitch in his stride. He never appeared fully comfortable at any time, finishing with four points on 2-of-7 shooting in 15 minutes.

Roy had missed 12 consecutive contests and 14 of Portland’s last 15 games due to his injury. He acknowledged last Sunday that he would likely be forced to play with pain for the remainder of the season.

The three-time All-Star leads the team in average points (23.1) and minutes (38.3), and ranks second in assists (5.0).

Roy was added to the active roster about 35 minutes before the start of the game. He was initially listed as questionable, but decided to take the court after running hard through pregame warmup drills.