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Aldridge, Blazers topple lowly Raptors

Feb 12, 2011 - 3:55 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 of his 37 points in the second half and the Portland Trail Blazers pushed their winning streak to three games on Friday with a 102-96 victory over Toronto.

Rudy Fernandez scored all of his 23 points in the first half to stake the Blazers to an early lead and they held on down the stretch for their sixth straight win against Toronto.

Andrea Bargnani scored 29 points to lead the Raptors, who have dropped three straight and 16 of their last 17 games. Jerryd Bayless added 18 points and DeMar DeRozan scored 17.

Toronto had a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn't keep Portland out of the basket at the other end.

The Blazers made eight straight shots during a 20-7 stretch that gave them a 98-92 lead with 1:16 remaining. Bayless later cut it to two points with a pair of free throws, but Wesley Matthews and Aldridge made two free throws apiece down the stretch to ice the win.

"We were pretty good till the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter," said Raptors head coach Jay Triano. "Things fell apart. They came with a small lineup."

Fernandez was red-hot in the first half, hitting all of his eight shots -- including six from three-point range as the Blazers led 23-19 after the first quarter and 55-47 at halftime.

"I just kept shooting," he said. "The most important thing for us is this win in Toronto, which is a difficult place to play in."

Portland led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, but the Raptors cut their deficit all the way to 72-70 at the buzzer, then tied it when Bargnani opened the fourth with a jumper.

While Fernandez carried the Blazers in the first half, Aldridge guided them in the second. He was 5-of-8 in the third quarter for 11 points and 4-for-5 in the fourth for 14.

"This is a team effort," he said afterward. "The team did a great job getting me the ball."

Game Notes

The Blazers began a three-game road trip that also includes visits to Detroit and Minnesota...Portland has won 14 of its last 19 games overall against the Raptors...Toronto is 0-2 on a four-game homestand that also includes visits from the Clippers and Heat.