NBA: Wizards blast Trail Blazers, Aldridge hurt early

The Washington Wizards shot a season-best 60 percent from the field and took advantage of the Portlan Trail Blazers' lack of scoring punch after LaMarcus Aldridge barely played two minutes, logging their seventh win of the season, 124-109. Aldridge crashed to the floor after making a jumper early in the first quarter. The power forward landed on Wizards forward Trevor Booker's foot and needed to be helped off the floor by teammates. Portland fans feared the worst, given the recent history of the Trail Blazers and injuries. Former overall number one draft pick Greg Oden is out for the season, while fan favorite Brandon Roy retired prior to the season. Luckily, the team's Twitter account (@pdxtrailblazers) said an x-ray revealed no broken bones, and that Aldridge's injury was just a sprain, though he did not return. However that good fortune did not extend to the court as the Blazers got hammered. Washington used an 8-0 run to go from being down 26-20 to leading 28-26 after the first quarter. A 16-7 run at the beginning of the second had it at 44-33, forcing Portland to call timeout, five minutes and forty five minutes left in the first half. Later in the period, Gerald Wallace's two free throws made it made it 50-44, 9:30 into the second, but that was as close as the Blazers got. The Wizards' offense made sure Portland trailed by at least seven points from that moment on. Nick Young dropped 35 points on 7-of-8 three-pointers, while John Wall added 29 and nine assists. The Wizards also managed to break 50 percent from downtown, making 9-of-17 triples as a team. Nic Batum, in his second start this season, led his side with a career-best-tying with 33 points. Gerald Wallace added 25, while Marcus Camby had a double-double of 13 points and 12 boards. At the start of the season, the Trail Blazers were an impressive 7-2, but since then are a mortal 8-12. At 15-14, they have fallen to the eighth seed in the West, with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves all breathing down their necks. On the other hand, Washington continues to create separation between themselves and the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats (3-25). The Wizards are now 7-22 and are on a two-game winning streak. Aldridge has been listed as day-to-day but will not travel with the Blazers when they head to Golden State for their next game. — JVP, GMA News