Trail Blazers 84 - 77 Pelicans
Final
  for this game

Blazers edge struggling Hornets

Jan 16, 2012 - 11:17 PM New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points and nine rebounds, helping the Portland Trail Blazers handle the New Orleans Hornets, 84-77.

Nicolas Batum added 19 points and six boards for the Blazers, who snapped a three-game skid. Gerald Wallace tallied 14 points and seven rebounds.

Portland played its second straight game without center Marcus Camby, who is dealing with a sprained left ankle.

"Sure it was ugly but we needed a win and we'll take it. We know we can play better and we know we'll have to play better, but we're happy with the win," Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said.

Jarrett Jack ended with 21 points for the Hornets, who have lost six in a row at home for the first time since February 22-March 18, 2006.

Emeka Okafor tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans, which has lost four straight games to fall to 3-10. Chris Kaman donated 12 points and six boards.

"We just shot ourselves in the foot," Okafor said. "We played good defense and set our turnovers across the board. We just have to do a better job of taking care of the basketball."

Portland led by as many as seven in the first quarter and took a 20-15 edge into the second.

The Blazers' lead reached nine in the second period, but New Orleans scored six of the final eight points in the half to cut the gap to 37-35.

Holding a 43-39 edge with 8:39 left in the third, the Blazers put together a 13-1 run to create some distance. Aldridge and Wallace each tallied four points during the surge to help the visitors take a 56-40 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to go.

Portland outscored New Orleans by a 27-16 margin in the third and took a 64-51 lead into the final stanza.

The Hornets never got closer than seven in the fourth.

Game Notes

New Orleans took three of four from Portland last season...The Blazers improved to 2-4 on the road this season, while the Hornets fell to 1-6 at home...New Orleans went 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, but made up for it with a 21-for-28 performance from the charity stripe...Portland went 6-for-20 from three-point range...Wesley Matthews had 10 points for the Blazers...The Hornets had 19 turnovers, leading to 23 points for the Blazers.






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