LaMarcus Aldridge, y'all.
LaMarcus Aldridge tied the NBA season high with 17 made field goals, and his 38 points carried the red-hot Portland Trail Blazers to a 111-104 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
Kevin Durant had 33 points and seven rebounds, and it likely would have been enough had Aldridge not shot 17-of-28 from the floor. Aldridge also finished with a game-high 13 rebounds, and the Blazers (16-3) have now won 14 of their last 15 games.
The Blazers, coming off perhaps their biggest win of the season Monday in a 106-102 home victory over the Indiana Pacers, trailed by as many as 12 points just before halftime when Russell Westbrook hit all three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. But Portland cut the deficit to four points at 63-59 early in the third quarter on a quick 9-2 run.
Aldridge was the difference for Portland in the fourth quarter. The Blazers built a lead as large as seven points, and each time Oklahoma City challenged for the lead, Aldridge seemed to answer. Even when Oklahoma City took its final lead of the game at 97-96, it was Aldridge who put Portland back on top for good at 98-97 with 4:21 to play on a tip-in off a Damian Lillard miss.
Aldridge's tip-in was the first of four straight field goals he would score down the stretch to buoy the Blazers to their third win in a row.
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