Trail Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge posts 25 points, 16 rebounds in return from injury
With LaMarcus Aldridge back in their rotation, the Portland Trail Blazers cruised to a 100-85 road win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday and snapped an ugly three-game losing streak.
Aldridge, who missed the Trail Blazers' previous seven games with a back contusion, posted 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting to go with 16 rebounds. Those numbers are above his season averages, and the residents of Portland can thank CSN Northwest's Dwight Jaynes for that.
#Blazers F LaMarcus Aldridge says he was motivated by our own @DwightJaynes' article allegedly stating his return wouldn't mean much.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 28, 2014
The Trail Blazers' road trip continues with a meeting against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, but head coach Terry Stotts is unsure whether Aldridge will feature in the second leg of the back-to-back.
Terry Stotts says #Blazers will decide tomorrow if Aldridge will play vs Bulls. We'll see what LA says in a few minutes.
— Mike Tokito (@mtokito) March 28, 2014
A few minutes later ...
Aldridge he will see how he feels in morning before deciding on Bulls games.
— Mike Tokito (@mtokito) March 28, 2014