"The road has not been friendly to the Trail Blazers, and Philips Arena wasn't a kind place for them Wednesday night.

Portland dug an early hole and never recovered in a 92-89 loss to Atlanta, its fourth in five games and its third in four stops on this cruel six-game trip that continues Friday at Toronto.

The Blazers (8-6) missed 12 of their first 14 shots and wound up shooting .380 in another "could-have-been" type of contest.

Afterward, Coach Nate McMillan questioned his players' effort.

"We need to play harder," McMillan said.

The Blazers held a players-only meeting after the game.

"We have to figure this out," forward LaMarcus Aldridge said, "before things get bad.""