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Aldridge, Blazers edge Pistons

Feb 14, 2011 - 3:21 AM Auburn Hills, MI (Sports Network) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 36 points on 12- of-17 shooting to help Portland down Detroit late in the game, 105-100, at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Wesley Matthews notched 26 points and seven rebounds for the Blazers, who have won four straight. Andre Miller added 15 points and 12 assists for the victors.

"It was a gut check for us and it was a big win that we needed, to a talented team," Matthews said. "You can't play records or anything like that and to get any win on the road is going to be tough. You can't get sick of winning and the great teams don't get tired of winning"

Ben Gordon netted 18 points, while Tracy McGrady had 16 for the Pistons, who have dropped two straight and three of four overall. Will Bynum and Tayshaun Prince scored 15 and 14, respectively.

Trailing by eight in the fourth quarter, Detroit embarked on an 11-1 run to put them up 84-82 just under seven minutes to play.

Austin Daye's four-point play sparked the run and Bynum's pull-up jumper gave Detroit the lead, 83-82, with 7:23 on the clock.

Portland regained the lead a few minutes later until Gordon's three-pointer knotted things at 93 with 2:24 remaining.

With a minute to play, the Blazers held onto a 97-95 edge after Miller hit two free throws. Chris Wilcox only made one free throw at the other end, and Aldridge hit a clutch long turnaround jumper to go up by three with 36.4 seconds to go.

Portland was able to play keep away the rest of the game by making their shots from the charity stripe.

"Execution down the stretch was critical," Bynum said. "We knew everybody wasn't just on the same page as far as execution wise and that's pretty much all there is to say."

Despite going 8-for-16 from the field in the first quarter, Portland trailed 21-20 after 12 minutes of play.

The Blazers built a six point edge, 41-35, with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half on an Aldridge three-point play, but the Pistons scored the next seven points to take a one-point lead with three minutes to go.

Down 49-47 at the half, Portland created some distance in the third by pushing the lead to eight, 74-66, following Aldridge's free throws with a minute left. However, the Pistons scored the last four points of the frame to make it 74-70 heading into a nip-and-tuck fourth quarter.

Game Notes

The Blazers have won six straight over Detroit...Portland, which is 12-17 on the road this season, will finish its three-game road trip in Minnesota on Monday...Detroit hosts Atlanta on Monday...Detroit has lost three straight at home...Charlie Villanueva had 10 points in the loss...The Blazers made 29- of-30 from the free throw line as a team while the Pistons made 24-of-30.