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PORTLAND, Ore. -- Just when it appeared Portland was cruising to a victory that would avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season, Torontos DeMar DeRozan put a scare into the Trail Blazers. Holding a 16-point lead with 7:41 remaining, Portland suddenly had to mount a rally of its own, hitting four free throws during the final 11.8 seconds to pull out a 106-103 win Saturday night. LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 15 rebounds and Damian Lillard hit a go-ahead free throw with 11.8 seconds left to help end the Blazers two-game losing streak. Lillard and Wesley Matthews scored 21 points apiece for Portland and Nicolas Batum added 18. DeRozan was a one-man wrecking crew down the stretch, scoring 30 of his 36 points during the second half. DeRozan, who also had 12 assists, scored 16 points during the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. The fourth-year All-Star guard had a hand in 22 of Torontos 26 second-half baskets, with 12 field goals and 10 assists. Kyle Lowry added 23 points for Toronto. The dramatic win helped Portland end its worst offensive slump of the season. The Blazers, the NBAs top scoring team at 108.4 points, came into Saturday having scored season lows of 81 and 88 points in their past two games. Aldridge said there wasnt a sense of relief despite the hair-raising finish. "We know that we had control from the beginning so it was just about staying solid the whole game and trying to close it out. We did that," Aldridge said. Matthews said after losing back-to-back games, to Golden State and Memphis, "this was a must-win game, and that was the sense of urgency we took into shootaround and the urgency we start the game with." DeRozan and the Raptors nearly spoiled Portlands breakout game. Trailing 57-40 at halftime and by as many as 19 points during the second half, Toronto made a prolonged charge at Portland. During the third quarter, the Raptors got as close as six points before Portland hit four 3-pointers during a four-minute stretch to regain a double-digit lead. Then DeRozan led Toronto on a fourth-quarter rally, when a 16-2 run over a five-minute stretch gave the Raptors a 103-102 lead on two free throws by DeRozan. "He was voted an All-Star for a reason. Hes capable of getting hot and carrying a team," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. Despite the near-comeback, Toronto coach Dwane Casey said the Raptors were sunk from a poor first half. "It wasnt us. We picked it up in the second half, but you cant spot a good team like Portland that many points and expect to survive," Casey said. With Portland trailing for the first time in the game, Lillard went on the offensive, drawing a foul while driving to the basket with 11.8 seconds left. Lillard hit both free throws to give the Blazers the lead, then Portlands defence stepped up when Matthews forced DeRozan into a turnover. Matthews said all he could think about during the final few minutes was making a play to stop DeRozan. "We blew a 20-point lead, and we did a similar thing when we played out there in Toronto. DeRozan made tough plays, the rest of the team make tough plays. We just got the timely stop we needed," Matthews said. Batum hit two free throws with 0.1 seconds left to seal the win. At the games outset, the Blazers got their sluggish offence going by turning up their defence, holding Toronto to 35 per cent shooting (14 of 40) during the first half. Aldridge kick-started Portlands performance with 12 points and 11 rebounds during the first quarter to stake Portland to a 31-19 lead. Helped by two Portland technical fouls, Toronto went on a 10-2 run midway through the second quarter to cut the deficit to 43-34. But Lillard went to work, punctuating a 12-point second quarter with a driving windmill dunk to put the Blazers in front 50-36. NOTES: Toronto reserve guard Greivis Vasquez missed Saturdays game with flu-like symptoms. Vasquez, acquired from Sacramento in a Dec. 9 trade, is averaging eight points and 4.5 rebounds a game for the Raptors. . Aldridges 11 first-quarter rebounds is one short of the franchise record for a quarter, held by three different players. . Portland is one of five NBA teams not to lose three consecutive games this season. . The Blazers won their sixth consecutive game in Portland over Toronto. The Raptors last won in Portland in 2006. Phil Esposito Jersey . With Van Osch out with a flu bug that has been rampaging through the tournament, Knezevic stepped in to lead B.C. (4-3) to a pair of victories on Tuesday before 1,131 at the Maurice Richard Arena. Brett Howden Jersey . On the eve of the 2013-14 NBA season, he can finally take a step back and allow his team to do the talking. http://www.authenticnyrangerspro.com/Mark-messier-rangers-jersey/ . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. Vladislav Namestnikov Jersey . Carcillo was a little of both for New York in Game 3. Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, Dan Girardi and Carcillo scored goals, leading the Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Chris Kreider Jersey . Instead, Nonis and Kessel were sorting through the fallout of a wild melee with the Buffalo Sabres, one that saw Kessel suspended for the duration of the pre-season.One thing that wasnt clear following Saturdays 1-1 draw between the Whitecaps and RSL was what sparked the brouhaha shortly after Darren Mattocks converted the dubious penalty for Vancouver. Only those involved will know for sure, but something really got under the skin of the home side, beyond just the referees decision. It was the second time this season the Whitecaps held Real Salt Lake to a single point at their fortress in the Utah mountains. In the April encounter, remarkably late goals by Nicholas Mezquida and Sebastian Fernandez overturned an early two-goal RSL advantage, leaving the MLS Cup-finalists strewn about the pitch, flat-out in disbelief. An obviously frustrated Kyle Beckerman was overheard telling Mattocks, “Good luck making the playoffs.” I wondered if the prospects of taking only one of a possible six points at home against a cocky group of 20-somethings was too much to bear for last years Western champs. Perhaps, thats why the pot finally boiled over and, not long after, Joao Plata made sure RSL got something from the game. Robbie Findley came within inches of winning it. Still, taking just two of six points against the Whitecaps at home would be considered a setback by the veteran team, one that has never lost to Vancouver at Rio Tinto Stadium. Maybe the frustration was amplified by the fact that Vancouver had played in Toronto on Wednesday and rotated their squad with a mix of players who hadnt seen starting minutes in quite some time. “Squad guys, stepping in and understanding their roles and the system almost immediately? Who do they think they are? Us!?” The Claret and Cobalts have been a model franchise since joining MLS in 2005. They hired a young coach and former MLS vet in Jason Kreis, who envisioned and executed a style of play that would become the clubs DNA. Generall Manager Garth Lagerway made prudent, but meaningful, signings without blowing the bank on high-profile foreigners.dddddddddddd Avaro Saborio, Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman, Nat Borchers, Will Johnson, Jaimeson Olave and Nick Rimando - an enviable foundation that was then augmented by role players who fit Kreiss system. Lagerway also wasnt afraid to move players on as they reached peak value. He freed up roughly $1 million of cap space prior to last season by shipping out Johnson, Olave and Espindola. RSL came within a penalty shootout of putting a second star on their badge last December. Carl Robinsons club-building philosophy isnt drastically different from RSLs. Hes referenced their formula often and the grand vision includes locking down his young core long term. That group includes Koffie, Tiebert, Laba, Leveron, Mattocks, Manneh and Hurtado. Despite their youth, the MLS minutes among them are starting to accumulate and, when this season concludes, roughly $1 million of expiring contracts could come off the books. Supporters can be excused for wanting success now, but if the Whitecaps could have the kind of long-term prosperity that Salt Lake has enjoyed, a team that is perpetually in the championship discussion, well, fans would be almost certainly be willing to wait a bit longer. RSL went from expansion team to MLS Cup-winner in only four years. After some early hiccups, the Whitecaps, now in their fourth MLS season, seem to have found their young visionary. If he sees out his plan, perhaps, one day they, too, will be desperately disappointed by collecting a mere two out of six points at home from a Western rival. So when an agitated Javier Morales got in the face of countryman Mattias Laba in Saturdays midfield dust-up, was he looking at a younger version of himself? Carl Robinson sure hopes so. 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