Blazers topple Suns with big 4th quarter

Phoenix, AZ - LaMarcus Aldridge scored 27 points with nine rebounds, and he led a late charge from the Portland Trail Blazers in an 87-81 win on Friday night.

Robin Lopez had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Damian Lillard added 11 points for the Blazers, who have won two straight following a five-game losing skid.

"I was really proud how we continued to compete," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts. "(Aldridge) obviously made a lot of clutch shots late in the game that turned the tide for us."

Marcus Morris paced the Suns with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while brother Markieff had 15 points and nine rebounds in the loss.

Phoenix, which has lost two straight after a four-game winning streak, fell to 3 1/2 games back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

"We had several opportunities, but they weren't able to convert. Credit to Aldridge," said Suns coach Jeff Hornacek.

Eric Bledsoe's free throw gave the Suns a 74-70 lead with under six minutes left in the game, then Aldridge got going and helped Portland take control.

Aldridge followed Bledsoe's make with a layup that kicked off a 15-2 run. He scored the final 10 points of the late surge that put the Blazers up 85-76 with 1:04 remaining.

Phoenix missed four straight shots before P.J. Tucker's layup ended the string with 23.9 seconds left. It was too late, however, as Nicolas Batum netted two free throws to keep Portland comfortably in front.

Aldridge scored 12 points in the first quarter and the Blazers led 29-21 after 12 minutes of action.

Portland went nearly four minutes without a point in the second quarter, then the Suns managed to tie the game on a Gerald Green 3-pointer with 3:43 left in the first half. Bledsoe's jumper just before the buzzer knotted the score at 47-47 at halftime.

Phoenix used a 9-0 run in the third quarter to take a six-point lead and it brought a 66-60 margin into he fourth.