• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Aldridge shines as Trail Blazers drop Raptors

Jan 21, 2012 - 5:33 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - With 33 points and 23 rebounds, LaMarcus Aldridge became the seventh player in Portland franchise history to record a 30-20 game as the Trail Blazers took down the Toronto Raptors, 94-84.

"He was a monster in the paint and on the boards tonight," Portland head coach Nate McMillan said. "He has the ability to average a double-double a game. 23 is a big number. Tonight he just made up his mind of going to the boards."

Zach Randolph last accomplished the feat with 31 points and 20 rebounds against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 11, 2003.

The Blazers, who had been outrebounded in nine straight games prior to Friday's contest, held a 55-40 advantage on the glass against Toronto.

"What we really wanted to do was force the tempo early and try to make the game easier for us," Aldridge said.

James Johnson had a career-high 23 points for the Raptors, who have lost seven consecutive games and 10 of 11.

Aldridge scored 12 points and snatched six rebounds while the returning Marcus Camby grabbed nine boards in the first quarter as the Blazers took a 27-14 lead heading into the second. Portland held an 18-8 rebounding advantage in the opening 12 minutes.

Aldridge continued to scorch the nets in the second quarter and recorded a double-double by halftime with 23 points and 11 rebounds. His jumper and three-point play on back-to-back possessions gave the Blazers a 45-24 advantage with less than four minutes to play in the first half.

Portland took a 47-32 lead into the locker room.

The Blazers began the second half on a 4:02 field-goal drought while the Raptors used a 19-4 run in the early stages of the third to get back into the game. Demar DeRozan made a pair of free throws to make it 51-46 with 8:15 left in the period.

Portland, though, countered with a 9-2 spurt of its own to make it 62-50 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the third.

Jamal Crawford nailed a jumper with two-tenths of a second remaining in the quarter as Portland took a 71-60 lead heading into the fourth.

Leandro Barbosa's three-pointer from the left wing made it 80-72 midway through the final stanza, but Aldridge answered with a hook shot in the lane on the other end to push the lead back to double-figures.

The Raptors were unable to make a final rally in the closing minutes.

"The mark of a young team is learning how to play those four quarters," said Raptors coach Dwane Casey. "Once we do that, I think we're going to be a good team."

Game Notes

Camby returned to the lineup after a three-game absence due to a sprained left ankle and had three points and 10 boards...This is the 12th straight game that Toronto has held an opponent under 100 points...Toronto's leading scorer, Andrea Bargnani, missed his fifth straight game with a strained left calf...Aldridge set a career high in rebounds. His previous high was 19.