Trail Blazers 107, Timberwolves 93
LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and a season-high 15 rebounds as Portland turned back visiting Minnesota.
Wesley Matthews shot 6-of-10 from 3-point range and scored 23 points for the Trail Blazers, the league’s top-rebounding team who owned a 54-43 edge on the boards. Damian Lillard scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and distributed eight assists for Portland.
Shabazz Muhammad scored a career-high 28 points off the bench for the Timberwolves, who lost their seventh straight attempt at winning two straight games. Mo Williams added 21 points and 11 assists and Thaddeus Young scored 14 for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves maintained the lead for most of the first half but gave it up over the last six minutes of the second quarter. Portland closed the half with a 17-4 run to take a 48-40 lead into the break.
Minnesota struggled to stay within single digits in the third quarter and the Trail Blazers regained separation by scoring the last eight points to take a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Timberwolves managed to trim that deficit in half with 5:28 still remaining but Lillard sank a jumper and a 3-point basket to quickly send the lead back to 11.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lillard had four points entering the fourth quarter but extended his streak of games in double figures to 28. … Matthews is 19-for-31 from 3-point range in the last three games. … Portland SF Nicolas Batum shot 1-for-8 from 3-point range, making his only one late in the first half to end a streak of 20 straight misses from long range.