Larry Miller and the Portland Trail Blazers

Joe Johnson scored eight of his 35 points in overtime and the Atlanta Hawks solved Portland's defense in time to beat the Trail Blazers 99-95 on Monday night. The Hawks, who won at Portland on Nov. 3, swept the season series for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Josh Smith had 20 points and 16 rebounds for Atlanta, which extended its winning streak to five with the victory in the matchup of division leaders. Rudy Fernandez led Portland with 19 points, including a tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation. LaMarcus Aldridge had 18 and Brandon Roy added 17 for the Trail Blazers, ... Read Full Story

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 13 rebounds, helping Portland to an 86-78 victory over a New Orleans team on Friday night that lost Chris Paul to a sprained ankle while trying to adjust to new head coach Jeff Bower. The Hornets trailed for most of their first game since the firing of Byron Scott on Thursday. Bower and new top assistant Tim Floyd struggled to find a lineup that could score consistently even when Paul was in the game. Paul sprained his left ankle at the end of the third quarter, moments after setting up Hilton Armstrong's dunk that cut Portland's lead to ... Read Full Story

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden each scored 24 points and combined for 25 rebounds Monday, powering the Portland Trail Blazers to a 122-98 victory over Chicago. Aldridge grabbed 13 rebounds and Oden had 12 in the Trail Blazers' ninth win in 11 games. Brandon Roy added 18 points and Andre Miller had 16 for Portland. Luol Deng scored 25 points and John Salmons 22 for the Bulls, who lost their third game in a row. Copyright 2009 by United Press International All Rights Reserved. Read Full Story

Trevor Ariza scored a career-high 33 points, Aaron Brooks added 28 points and the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Portland Trail Blazers at home for the fifth straight time in the regular season, 111-107 on Saturday night. Houston had to overcome a 42-point performance by Brandon Roy and a determined Trail Blazers offense that kept the game close to the end. Ariza's previous career high was 26 points, last accomplished March 15 for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas. The Rockets hit 12 of 24 3-point baskets and shot 50.6 percent overall for the game. Ariza was 5 for 8 from 3-point ... Read Full Story

Reserve Travis Outlaw scored 23 points and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Houston Rockets 96-87 in the season opener Tuesday night. Brandon Roy added 20 points and five assists for the Blazers. Portland hit 20 of 22 free throws and outrebounded Houston 51-33. Aaron Brooks had 19 points for the Rockets, who defeated Portland in six games this past spring in the first round of the playoffs. That was a much different Houston team, though. Rockets center Yao Ming is out for the season after offseason foot surgery, and Ron Artest — who pestered the Blazers — left for the Lakers as a ... Read Full Story