Ore. — Nicolas Batum scored 22 points, making five of six
3-point attempts, and the Portland Trail Blazers won their fourth
straight with a 109-98 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and 12 rebounds for
the Blazers, who have won nine of 11. Brandon Roy had 20 points.
Chris
Bosh had 28 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors, who have
lost five straight, matching a season high.
The Blazers led by as
many as 15 points, but Andrea Bargnani hit a pair of free throws
that pulled the Raptors within four before Sonny Weems' long
jumper made it 93-91 with 6:15 left.
Portland kept Toronto at
bay, going up 101-93 on Roy's hook shot and a pair of free throws from
Batum.
Toronto's Hedo Turkoglu was close to signing with
the Blazers last summer as a free agent. The 6-foot-10 forward even came
to Portland and met with general manager Kevin Pritchard.
But
the deal abruptly fell through and Turkoglu, who helped Orlando to the
NBA finals last season, agreed the next week to join the Raptors.
Turkoglu
was booed loudly during pregame introductions. Conversely, former
Blazers guard Jarrett Jack received a warm round of applause.
Turkoglu
then made a 3-pointer 19 seconds into the game.
Aldridge got off
to a quick start for the Blazers, with 10 points in the first six
minutes, capped by a jumper that pulled Portland to a 15-all tie.
But
it was Rudy Fernandez who helped swing the game in Portland's
favor in the second quarter. Fernandez had 10 points in 12 minutes,
including three 3-pointers that put the Blazers up 45-35 midway through
the second quarter.
He also had three assists, including a
no-look, behind-the-back pass to Martell Webster, and an
alley-oop to Aldridge that drew cheers from the Rose Garden crowd.
The
Blazers led by as many as 14 points en route to a 60-49 lead at the
break.
Turkoglu's 3-pointer with 1:16 left in the third quarter
narrowed it to 83-76. But on the other end he fouled Fernandez, who made
both shots.
Bargnani closed the Raptors to 85-80 early in the
fourth quarter, but the Blazers responded and went up 91-80 after
Batum's 3-pointer.
Bosh was playing in his fourth game after
missing seven games with a sprained ankle and a stomach virus.
The
Blazers were coming off a 110-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Portland hosts the Wizards on Friday.
Notes
The Blazers
have won four straight against the Raptors. Neither team had won more
than three straight in series history. … The Raptors return home from
their 0-4 road trip to host Atlanta on Wednesday. … All five of the
Blazers' starters scored in double figures.