Portland Trail Blazers beat Detroit Pistons 105-100
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 35 points, as the Portland Trail Blazers stretched their winning streak to four games by overcoming the Detroit Pistons 105-100, at Palace of Auburn Hills on Sunday night.
Although Aldridge has not been chosen for the upcoming All-Star contest, he has now scored 115 points in the last three games, including 42 against the Chicago Bulls. In addition, LaMarcus has scored more than 35 points in five
of the last 13 games.
Guard Wesley Matthews also played well as he added 26 points for the Blazers, who won their 30thgame of the 2010-11 season. Wesley appreciated the sizzling performance of Aldridge, who managed an impressive 12-of-17
shooting from the floor. He said, "I think he is an All-Star. He is an All-Star 10 times out of 10. He makes shots. That is what he does.”
It was another great performance from Andre Miller as he contributed 15 points and grabbed 12 assists for the victors. Ben Gordon did all he could as he had 18 points for Detroit, who lost their 35th game of the current
season.
Tracy McGrady posted 16 points, while guard Will Bynum came off the bench to score 15 points and five rebounds for the Pistons, who have lost six straight against Portland. Meanwhile, the Pistons swingman Richard "Rip" Hamilton
missed his fourth consecutive game with a sore groin.
Match Analysis
Both teams started the contest at a crisp pace but they played some sloppy basketball in the first four minutes of the game. However, Detroit slowly began to build their lead, taking a 21-20 lead into the second.
The Trail Blazers continued to struggle with turnovers and let their shooting percentage dip heavily in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Pistons continued to play offensively, taking a 49-47 advantage into the locker room.
The Blazers came on strong in the third quarter and controlled every aspect of the game - limiting turnovers, making shots, and playing some tenacious defence. Detroit fought hard to strengthen their hold on the game but fell
flat midway through the third. Portland successfully converted the two-point deficit into a 74-70 lead, heading into the final stanza.
The Blazers went on an 8-2 run early in the fourth quarter and extended their lead to 81-73 with 11th minutes to go. Detroit got it going defensively half way through the fourth and bridged the eight-point gap at
90-91 with three minutes remaining until the final buzzer.
Leading by 97-96, the Blazers got major free throws from Batumi and Miller to stretch their lead to 98-103 with just 14 seconds remaining in the fourth. Matthews scored three of the four free throws to seal the win for Portland.
An excited Andre Miller said after the game, "We had a lot of turnovers tonight, but we found a way to pull it out. They got into a rhythm late and found a couple go-to players, but we were able to finish it off."
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