Trail Blazers 110, 76ers 101
Gerald Wallace scored 25 points and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 110-101 on Saturday for their third straight win since changing the starting lineup.
Wallace added eight assists and six rebounds as Portland (40-29) moved to within one-half game of Denver for fifth in the Western Conference. Wesley Matthews scored 28 points for the Blazers.
Portland is not starting a center after Wallace, a forward, replaced Marcus Camby in the lineup Tuesday.
Lou Williams scored 24 points, Thaddeus Young had 19 and Jodie Meeks added 17 for the 76ers (36-34), who fell into a tie for sixth with New York in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia had a pair of two-game winning streaks snapped - overall and at Portland.
The 76ers went on a 12-2 run in the third quarter - including five points by Meeks - to cut the Blazers lead to 75-73, but the Blazers retook control with an 8-0 run, and gradually pulled away in the fourth.
Matthews delivered 20 points, including 6 for 7 from 3-point range, in the first half as Portland took a 62-54 lead.
Philadelphia's bench, which leads the NBA with nearly 40 points per game, outscored Portland's reserves 59-14.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Blazers.