Aldridge’s 31 Points Help Blazers Tie Up Series Vs. Suns

Portland, OR, United States (AHN) – The Portland Trail Blazers slipped past the Phoenix Suns in a 96-87 nail-biter Saturday, thanks in large part to LaMarcus Aldridge posting a playoff career high 31 point game.

Aldridge went 11-19 from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds and 3 assists in his outing.

He nearly exceeded his production for the last two games together, where he went for 11 points in Game 2 and 22 in Game 3.

Portland was only up by two points at the end of the third quarter, 74-72.

The Suns were unable to muster a strong close, putting up only 15 points in the final quarter.

Andre Miller posted 15 points, while Jerryd Bayless and Nicolas Batum added 11 and 10 respectively. Batum played a full 34 minutes, showing little hindrance from his injured shoulder.

A surprise came from Brandon Roy, who was not expected to play due to knee surgery. He had not made an appearance yet this series, but managed to go 4-10 from the field and sink one of two 3-point opportunities.

Amare Stoudemire, who added 26 points and sank 8 out of 10 of his free throws, led the Suns.

Grant Hill and Steve Nash paved the way, Hill posting 12 rebounds and 9 points, and Nash with 8 assists and 15 points.

A critical Game 5 will be played at Phoenix on Monday, and will determine who carries the momentum going into the final stretch of the series. The teams are currently tied at 2-2.

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