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Charlotte’s three-game road winning streak came to an end in Portland on Monday with a 98-79 loss to the Trail Blazers in the Rose Garden.

For Bobcats (24-23) Head Coach Larry Brown, the formula for this loss in the fifth game of Charlotte’s six-game West Coast trip was a simple one.

“You can name any area. We took 23 3-pointers, I think we had 14 assists until the last 10 seconds – we didn’t pass the ball, we didn’t match their energy and they were so much sharper in every area,” said Brown. “They got 28 points on turnovers and we didn’t pass the ball. We shot 3-pointers, and those are things that kill you, especially on the road.”

Only three Bobcats – Stephen Jackson (23 points), Gerald Wallace (17) and Flip Murray (13) – scored in double-figures in this one as Charlotte collectively shot just 26.1 percent (6 of 23) from beyond the arc and turned it over 21 times, leading to those 28 points.

In contrast, six Trail Blazers (29-21) – LaMarcus Aldridge (17 points), Jared Bayless (15) and Martell Webster (10) – scored in double-figures in Portland’s starting lineup, while Nicolas Batum (15), Rudy Fernandez (11) and Dante Cunningham (10) added 10-or-more points off the bench. The Trail Blazers reserves outscored Charlotte’s 45-19, helping Portland build numerous double-digit leads. But the Bobcats continued to fight, chipping away the lead to as few as four points in the fourth quarter before finally seeing the Blazers pull away.

“Every time they got a lead, we came back and then forgot how we came back,” said Brown. “Their bench was great – Batum, Cunningham, Fernandez, (Steve) Blake – their bench was so good. Their starters did a good job, but their bench was far superior. They really determined the game.”

Charlotte has one final stop on its six-game trip – in Los Angeles to take on the Lakers at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. The Bobcats will be looking to complete the West Coast swing at 4-2 overall heading into Saturday’s home contest against New Orleans.