PORTLAND, Ore. Brian Moran Jersey . -- The Trail Blazers who got off to such a strong start this season re-emerged against Washington Wizards. "The ball was moving. It was a lot of fun to be out there," Wesley Matthews said. "Thats how we play. Thats how we got on a roll, thats how we got to be one of the hottest teams." Matthews matched his season high with 28 points, including four 3-pointers, and the Portland defeated the Wizards 116-103 on Thursday night. Damian Lillard added 23 points and 10 assists for the Blazers, who are still playing without injured All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge. Portland (45-24) remained in fifth place in the Western Conference with three victories in their last four games after slumping with a four-game losing streak. The Wizards (35-33) have lost two straight to open four-game swing against the Western Conference while they vie for a playoff spot in the East to end a five-year absence. Washington currently sits sixth in their conference. John Wall had 24 points and 14 assists for Washington, which trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half. "They are a team that gets hot from time to time," Wall said. "And they got hot and made some contested shots, they rotated the ball and guys knocked down their shots." Portland played small in Aldridges absence and finished with 32 assists on 41 field goals. " I think right now were just moving the ball really well," Lillard said. "And when youre moving the ball, you put yourself in position to make shots." Wizards centre Marcin Gortat was scratched from the lineup just before the game because of a lower back strain. It was the first game hes missed this season. Gortat, who hurt his back during pregame warmups and left the court wincing, is averaging 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. In Washingtons 117-111 overtime loss at Sacramento on Tuesday, Gortat had 19 points and 14 rebounds. The Wizards started Kevin Seraphin in his place. The Wizards are still without forward Nene, who missed his 12th gram because of a sprained left MCL. "Things arent going our way right now," Wall said. "Some guys are down, but there are no excuses. We know we should be 1-1 on this trip right now. Two more games left to put this one behind us. Win the next two, go home even." The Blazers, who opened the season 22-4 and rose to the top of the standings, played without Aldridge for the fourth straight game because of a lower back contusion. He is expected to return when the Blazers play at Charlotte on Saturday. They got a scare against the Wizards when reserve guard Will Barton, who has been a spark off the bench this season, appeared to injure his right arm and left the game for a time. In the second half he wore a brace on his elbow. The Blazers jumped out to a 19-14 lead, but the Wizards answered with a 14-4 run to lead 28-23 after the first quarter. Bradley Beals layup extended the lead to 35-27. The Wizards stayed in front, going up 45-39 on former Blazer Martell Websters dunk. But Lillard dunked with less than a minute to go in the half and Robin Lopez added a layup to tie the game at 51. Lillard added a pair of free throws for a 53-51 Blazers lead at the break. Portland opened the third quarter with an 11-3 run, including 3-pointers from Lillard, Dorell Wright and Matthews, to stretch the lead to 64-53. The Blazers had six 3s in the quarter to head into the final period with an 86-73 lead. Bartons pass between the legs of Drew Gooden was snagged by Thomas Robinson for the jam to make it 89-73. Wright, who has been starting in Aldridges absence, matched his season-high with 15 points. Gooden had 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Washington. NOTES: The Blazers on Thursday announced a $16 million makeover of the Moda Center, including renovation of the arenas suites and a new glass enclosed bar on the upper level that will offer a panoramic view of Portland. The Blazers are also holding a fan contest to redesign the teams court. ... The Blazers have had four straight games with at least 12 3-pointers, a franchise record. ... The loss snaps a three-game winning streak for the Wizards in the series with Portland. Lewis Brinson Jersey .Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the Bulls beat the winless Orlando Magic 98-90 on Tuesday night.Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 21 points and Taj Gibson added 16 for Chicago, which finally pulled away in the final minutes of a game that was tied after three quarters. Sandy Alcantara Jersey . This is not some token job for a prominent, popular former player. All of those areas need a lot of work, so Molitor is going to be busy. "Hes certainly got a history and knowledge and a high baseball IQ," general manager Terry Ryan said. https://www.cheapmarlinsjerseys.us/1381r-antonio-alfonseca-jersey-marlins.html . PETERSBURG, Fla.TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. The top-ranked Crimson Tide flashed its overwhelming punching power to knockout No. 10 LSU in Saturday nights 38-17 victory Saturday, scoring the final 21 points in punishing fashion. AJ McCarron threw three touchdown passes, T.J. Yeldon ran for 133 yards and two scores and the Tide (9-0, 6-0 Southeastern Conference) turned to smash-you-in-the-mouth football to take control of a game that was tied early in the third quarter. Yeldon carried 18 times in the second half, 25 overall. And down went LSU (7-3, 3-3). "I think we probably played our best half of football," Tide coach Nick Saban said. "We didnt play great in the first half, but man I tell you what, a lot of character out there in the second half." Yeldon and McCarron had hooked up for the game-winning touchdown pass in the final minute of last seasons meeting with the Tigers. This one had no such dramatic finish. Two-time defending national champion Alabama brushed aside its first challenge since Game 2 against Texas A&M. It was a dominant performance two days after one contender, No. 2 Oregon, fell to another, No. 6 Stanford. McCarron was a workmanlike 14-of-20 passing for 179 yards, letting Yeldon, Kenyan Drake and their blockers assert control. He did hit speedy freshman tight end O.J. Howard for a 52-yard touchdown and overtook John Parker Wilson to become Alabamas top career passer. "All he does is win and does what his team needs for him to do," Saban said of his senior quarterback. "I think the guy is the best quarterback in the country." He didnt need to put up big numbers to improve his career mark to 34-2. LSUs Zach Mettenberger completed 16 of 23 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown but was also sacked four times. It was the most points Alabama has scored against LSU since a 41-12 victory in 1947. LSU had won five of the last six meetings in Tuscaloosa, but lost fumbles on its first two possessions, including one on the goal line. The Tigers, who came in averaging 40.2 points, couldnt regain the lost momentum and managed just 52 yards in the second half and minus-9 in the final quarter. "You cant turn the ball over," LSU coach Les Miles said. "In the first half its a 7-to-nothing game and the fullback (J.C. Copeland) runs the ball off left tackle. Then we turn the ball over on the other side of the field. That cost us a terrible start. "We overcame it but it took time." Alabama haas been so dominant lately, some students began chanting "We Want Bama" in the fourth quarter, mimicking the fans of potential challengers to the reigning champs. Miami Marlins Pro Shop. This one, at least, was a contest until Alabama scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Yeldon powered the Tide to a two-touchdown lead with a workhorse drive in the fourth quarter. He ran six times for 34 yards and had a 13-yard catch before powering it in with 10:31 left to give Alabama a 31-17 lead. "They came in here thinking that they were going to be more physical than us," Tide defensive lineman Jeoffrey Pagan said. "I feel like we changed that." LSU swiftly threatened to get back in the game when Odell Beckham Jr. raced 82 yards on the kickoff return. Alabama held firm and Mettenbergers fourth-and-13 pass to a well-covered Jarvis Landry was off target. And the Tide fans at Bryant-Denny Stadium could finally breathe. Alabamas Drake ran for 65 yards on 10 carries. The Tide outgained LSU 372-282, including a 193-43 advantage on the ground in a game both sides typically call one of the most physical of each season. LSUs playmaking receivers Beckham and Landry turned in some big ones but it wasnt nearly enough. Landry had five catches for 90 yards and Beckham gained 42 yards on three catches. Alabama limited Jeremy Hill, who came in as the SECs No. 2 rusher, to 13 carries for 42 yards and a touchdown. "You could look at the score and think one thing," Mettenberger said. "But if you watched the game you would know that if we didnt turn the ball over and made some smarter decisions in the third and fourth quarters, it would be a ball game." LSU tied the game at 17 with Colby Delahoussayes 41-yard field goal to cap the opening drive of the second half. Then Alabama turned to a fake punt in its own territory. Alabamas Jarrick Williams took a handoff from linebacker C.J. Mosley and ran for a first down on fourth and 2 in Tide territory after calling time out. The buck-the-odds gamble that is more Les Miles calling card than Sabans paid off. Yeldon capped a 14-play drive consuming seven minutes, 50 seconds with a 4-yard touchdown for a 24-17 lead. "We said if they put their defence back in there, we were going to run it," Saban said. "I felt like we didnt want to give them the ball back. We were playing great on defence. I think it was a big play in the game and for our offence to go down and finish that drive, I think it really changed the momentum." ' ' '