Aldridge plays through thumb injury to lead Blazers past Wizards

LaMarcus Aldridge's first game playing through a torn ligament in his left thumb was a success. 

The Trail Blazers' power forward scored a game-high 26 points to propel Portland to a 103-96 victory over the Washington Wizards. Aldridge added nine rebounds, two steals and shot 8-of-8 from the line just days after suffering the injury that was supposed to keep him out for six-to-eight weeks. 

Instead, Aldridge missed two games after opting against surgery that would have kept him out until March. He plans to play through the injury, provided he can tolerate the pain, and undergo an operation during the offseason. 

"I wanted to win this game tonight, so I just came back," the three-time All-Star said after the contest. 

It's appears to be a risky decision for Aldridge and the team to be making, especially considering the Trail Blazers have a comfortable 9-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Northwest Division and sit in third place in the Western Conference with a 32-13 record. 

But Aldridge said the thumb rapidly improved in recent days, and his teammates are ecstatic he's going to gut it out. 

"It's really selfless," point guard Damian Lillard said, according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN. "I think that's the best way to put it. He's putting aside what's best for him and what he's going through for the sake of the team. Obviously we're not the team that we are with LaMarcus without him. I'm just glad he's going to be out there."

Lillard added 20 points in Saturday's victory to help Portland hold off a 25-point, nine-assist effort from Eastern Conference All-Star John Wall.