TORONTO — Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge continued his dominance over the Raptors, leading Portland to a 113-97 win over Toronto Sunday evening at Air Canada Centre.
Aldridge, who entered the contest averaging 25.9 points and 12.9 rebounds in his last nine meetings with the Raptors, finished with a game-high 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. The 29-year-old has double-doubles in 10 straight games against the Raptors.
Blazers guard Damian Lillard added 23 points, five assists and four rebounds while guard Arron Afflalo chipped in with 14 points.
Portland (44-20) has now won 12 of the last 13 meetings with Toronto (39-27). The Blazers have won eight of nine overall and improved to 20-6 against the Eastern Conference this season.
The Raptors, who have not won back-to-back home games since Feb. 11 and 20, were led by guard DeMar DeRozan’s 22 points and eight rebounds.
The Raptors have now lost five of six overall and 12 of 15 versus the Western Conference.
Toronto center Jonas Valanciunas added 14 points and nine rebounds while guard Kyle Lowry had 10 points in the loss.
The Blazers led 91-79 heading into the fourth. Portland shot 54 percent (12-for-24) from 3-point range through three quarters.
Raptors forwards Terrence Ross and Amir Johnson struggled early. The two were a combined 2-of-11 from the field at one point and Toronto was outscored by 17 points with Johnson on the floor.
Ross finished with three points while Johnson had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Raptors guard Lou Williams tied the game 47-47 with 4:36 remaining in the half, but it was all Portland after that. The Trail Blazers used a 17-6 surge to take a 64-53 lead into the break.
Aldridge led the way shooting 5 of 6 from the field and finishing the first half with 12 points and five rebounds. Lillard and Afflalo each had 11 first half points.
The Blazers shot 61 percent from the field while holding the Raptors to 54 percent.
Toronto was led by DeRozan’s 12 points and five rebounds while Lowry and guard Greivis Vasquez each had eight points for the Raptors, who shot 63 percent from 3-point range.
The Raptors closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run trailing the Blazers 33-31.
NOTES: Toronto C Jonas Valanciunas returned to the Raptors lineup Sunday after missing Friday’s contest due to the birth of his son. … Trail Blazers C Joel Freeland missed Sunday’s game serving a one-game suspension. Freeland was suspended by the NBA for his head-butting incident during Portland’s 118-99 win over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. … Portland G Wesley Matthews (Achilles tendon) missed his third game Sunday. The Trail Blazers are 3-1 without him in the lineup. … Portland continues its five-game road trip Monday night in Washington.