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Aldridge lifts Blazers past Kings

Oct 21, 2008 - 4:51 AM By Tom Galland PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SACRAMENTO, California (Ticker) -- The Portland Trail Blazers present matchup problems all over the court. Just ask the Sacramento Kings.

LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 24 points to lead Portland to a second wire-to-wire win over the Kings, 112-98 at Arco Arena on Monday.

Brandon Roy scored 21 and Rudy Fernandez added 16 for Portland (3-2), which also defeated Sacramento, 110-81, at the Rose Garden on October 7.

Fernandez, a star in Spain before jumping to the NBA this season, connected on three 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Blazers led by as many as 12 before settling for a 57-50 advantage at the break.

Kevin Martin rallied Sacramento with 14 of his game-high 34 in the third, but the Kings could only close to within one before the Blazers answered decisively in the final stanza.

Center Greg Oden scored 13 points for Portland but, more importantly, dominated the middle on defense. Oden completely shutdown Kings center Spencer Hawes, who finished with one point and five fouls in 17 minutes. Hawes has scored just five points in two meetings against Portland.

John Salmons added 27 for the Kings, who fell to 1-6 in the preseason.