Aldridge leads Trail Blazers to 99-83 win over Heat

The strong overall play of perennial AllStar LaMarcus Aldridge was the difference in the Portland Trail Blazers’ 9983 victory over the reeling Miami Heat.

Aldridge scored 24 points, 10 of them in the third quarter, and grabbed 12 rebounds Thursday night at the Moda Center in Portland for the Blazers, who improved their record to 288 and remain in second place in the Western Conference behind the Golden State Warriors (285).

Shooting guard Wesley Matthews scored 18 points, while point guard Damian Lillard added 16 and center Chris Kaman scored 10, hauled down nine rebounds and blocked two shots.

Portland broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Heat 3316 to turn a fivepoint deficit into a 7664 lead.

The Blazers’ effectiveness from behind the 3point line and on the boards was the difference, as they made six of their 13 attempts from long range in the second half and ended the game with a 1510 edge on the offensive glass.

Portland extended its lead to 17 points early in the fourth quarter thanks to 3point shots by Matthews and reserve forward Allen Crabbe and later stretched that advantage to 23 points.

Dwyane Wade scored 23 points to lead the Miami Heat, who have lost seven of their last 10 games. Forward Chris Bosh added 18 but shot just 5of16 from the field against Portland’s formidable defense, which has held eight of its last 11 opponents under 100 points.

The Blazers improved their record to 212 in games when they prevent their rival from getting into triple figures.

Separately, the Trail Blazers confirmed Thursday that they have extended general manager Neil Olshey’s contract through the end of the 20182019 season and also named him president of basketball operations.

The Charlotte Hornets won their fourth straight game with a 10395 victory Thursday over the Toronto Raptors, who have lost four consecutive contests.

The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, improved to 2511 by routing the lowly New York Knicks 12096.