New York City: LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and eight rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers shook off early struggles on Monday to beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-98 and win their seventh consecutive NBA game.
Wesley Matthews added 24 points for Portland, while Damian Lillard contributed 19 points and nine assists and Mo Williams added 12 points off the bench for the Trail Blazers, who improved to 9-2.
The Nets scored on 19 of their first 20 possessions on the way to a 40-31 lead after the first quarter, but Portland’s defenders clamped down after that and Brooklyn shot only 22 per cent (9-of-41) from the floor in the second half.
Shaun Livingston, who started his second straight game for injured Deron Williams, led Brooklyn with 23 points.
Kevin Garnett, in his 19th NBA campaign, made his first six shots but finished 8-for-19 from the field, finishing 16 points and eight rebounds for the Nets, who fell to 3-7.
Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors centre Jermaine O’Neal was diagnosed with a bruised right knee and minor groin strain and did not join the team for their 98-87 win at Utah on Monday.
O’Neal, who underwent an MRI exam Sunday, is averaging 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots in nine games this season for the Warriors, who at 7-3 share the Pacific Division lead with the Los Angeles Clippers.
O’Neal, the NBA’s 2002 Most Improved Player and a member of six consecutive NBA All-Star teams from 2002-2007 while with Indiana, left Saturday’s home game against Utah in the fourth quarter.
The 17-year veteran has career averages of 13.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots over 976 regular-season games with the Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Golden State.
The Warriors play host to Memphis (5-5) on Wednesday and visit the Los Angeles Lakers (5-7) on Friday.
