Blazers Fire Past Pistons
POSTED: 6:16 pm CST November 30,
2008
Auburn Hills, MI -- (Sports Network) - LaMarcus Aldridge scored a game-high 27 points, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 96-85 road victory over the Detroit Pistons.Brandon Roy added 19 points for the Blazers, who have won four straight. Greg Oden posted 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Steve Blake had 10 points and seven assists in the victory. "I established things inside early, going to the basket, getting to the line," Aldridge said. "As the game went on, I was able to go to my jump shot more. (My jump shot) has felt better the last few games, and I'm getting more confidence." Richard Hamilton contributed 18 points for the Pistons, who have lost three of five and won just two of four on their homestand. Rodney Stuckey scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists, while Rasheed Wallace added 11 points. Tayshaun Prince had 10 points, and Allen Iverson scored just nine on 2-of-9 shooting. "Our starters put us in a hole," Pistons head coach Michael Curry said. "We battled back the entire night. When we did battle back there were times I had to give our guys off the bench a blow. This game is on our starters. When we put them back in, we never got great things going." Heading into the fourth down six, the Pistons began the quarter on an 11-5 run to tie the game at 75-75 on Amir Johnson's basket with nine minutes left. Arron Afflalo gave Detroit the lead with a couple free throws, but Steve Blake's three and Aldridge's jumper put Portland back in front by three. After Iverson made it a one-point game, the Blazers ripped off a 13-1 run to take a 13-point lead on two Oden free throws with 2 1/2 minutes left, and the Pistons didn't threaten again for the remainder of the game. "To come into Detroit and beat them on their court -- it has to be a gritty effort," Blazers head coach Nate McMillan said. "I thought our team stayed calm. We knew Detroit's second unit was very aggressive and brought a lot of energy. They gave them a rhythm, but we stayed pretty calm, stayed to our game plan and (were) able to pull out a very big win for us." Portland scored nine of the game's first 12 points, including seven from Aldridge, and the Blazers held a 25-13 advantage after a quarter. Aldridge led all scorers with 17 at halftime, but the Pistons were able to cut the deficit to eight, 50-42, going into the break. Prince's layup brought Detroit to within four midway through the third, but Portland followed with a 9-2 run to take an 11-point lead. The Pistons closed the quarter on an 8-3 spurt and faced a six-point deficit headed into the fourth. Game Notes Portland has won six of seven and will play four more consecutive games on the road...The Blazers shot 52.2 percent (36-of-69), while the Pistons shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69).
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.






