The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Miami Heat 105-96 Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored a team-high 26 points. He was one of the six Portland players to score in double-figures, highlighted by Gerald Wallace's 22 points off the bench. The Trail Blazers shot 50 percent from the field, including 7 of 17 on 3-pointers. It was the fifth straight loss for the Heat, their longest streak of the season. They received big games from guard Dwyane Wade and forward LeBron James, but they had little help. Wade led all scorers with 38 points while James added 31.
"Frankly, we don't have a lot of answers how to get over this hump. The only thing we can do is keep grinding and not let go of the rope." -- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra
Meanwhile, the Lakers cruised to an 8 straight win over the Atlanta Hawks with Kobe Bryant scoring 26 and moving into sixth place in the all time scoring chart. Phoenix had the better of Houston 113-110, while there were wins for the Bucks, 76ers and Warriors.