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Portland holds off Philly in opener

Dec 27, 2011 - 7:34 AM Portland, OR (Sports Network) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Gerald Wallace added 21 points and nine boards as the Portland Trail Blazers held on for a 107-103 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in the season opener for both teams.

Wesley Matthews had 16 points and six rebounds for Portland, which lost in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs for the third consecutive year last season.

Lou Williams netted 25 points off the bench and Andre Iguodala finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for the 76ers, who fell to the Miami Heat in five games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last year.

Spencer Hawes was one assist shy of a triple-double. He finished the game with 10 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

The 76ers, who averaged just 13 turnovers a game a year ago, finished with 20 giveaways.

With the Blazers holding a 100-87 lead, Iguodala hit back-to-back three- pointers to bring the 76ers within seven with under three minutes left.

After Wallace hit 1-of-2 from the line, Williams put the 76ers on his back, scoring the next 10 Philadelphia points.

Consecutive three-pointers in a span of seven seconds saw Philadelphia trailing by just two, 105-103, with 16.9 seconds left.

Felton made 1-of-2 from the line, and the 76ers had a chance to tie. Instead of sticking with the hot hand of Williams, Iguodala's 28-footer from the left wing clanked off the front rim. Felton again split a pair from the charity stripe to seal the win with 1.2 left.

"It feels good," Aldridge said of the win. "It starts us out with confidence."

Portland held Philadelphia to 32 percent shooting in the first quarter as the Trail Blazers took a 26-15 lead into the second. Aldridge paced Portland with 10 points.

"We dug ourselves a hole," Sixers head coach Doug Collins said. "They're a really good team. They have size and versatility."

The 76ers, who never led after hitting the opening basket, did not go away. They cut into the deficit using the free-throw line in the second quarter to make it a 48-44 game at the half. They drilled 10-of-11 shots from the charity stripe in the second stanza.

Portland took a 77-72 lead into the fourth quarter, and went on a 15-3 run to take a 92-77 advantage with 7:35 to go.

Game Notes

Philadelphia went 6-of-11 from three-point range in the fourth quarter...The 76ers overcame a 3-13 start last year to finish 41-41...Portland went 48-34 last season and lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs...Portland scored 28 points off turnovers.