PORTLAND, Ore. - While LaMarcus Aldridge may not have been at his best physically, he did have the advantage of being well-rested when the Trail Blazers took the Raptors to overtime.Portlands All-Star forward, who had missed three of the last four games because of a respiratory illness, had 23 points and 13 rebounds in the 102-97 victory over Toronto on Tuesday night.I was kind of feeling it out in the first half because they hadnt played with me in two or three games, Aldridge said about his teammates. In the second half I was trying to be more aggressive going to the basket, just trying to find my shot.The Blazers, the first team in the NBA to 26 wins, have won four straight and nine of their last 10.Aldridge kidded that he still had energy at the end because hed been able to sit out of a few games, but coach Terry Stotts admired Aldridges will after he was pressed into additional minutes because of the close game.Coming back from an illness that sapped him of a lot of energy, he showed a lot of moxie, Stotts said.Damian Lillard added 26 points and nine assists, while Wesley Matthews finished with 19 points, including five 3-pointers.The Blazers rallied in the fourth quarter after trailing by 13 points, but Amir Johnsons short jumper for the Raptors tied the game 87-87 and sent it to overtime.Portland took a 96-90 lead in the extra period on consecutive 3-pointers from Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum. Kyle Lowrys layup got the Raptors within 96-94, but Greivis Vasquez was called for a clear-path foul on Batum, who made one of a pair of free throws to keep Portland in front 97-94.Lillard made a pair of free throws with 19.4 second left and the Raptors couldnt catch up.We just had to stay the course, we knew they were one of the better teams in the league this season, top of the Eastern Conference and theyve played well against Western Conference teams, Lillard said. We knew it was going to be a fight coming in.Lowry finished with 25 points while James Johnson had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season for Toronto.The Raptors had won the first two games of their six-game road trip, including a 116-102 victory at Denver on Sunday.Portland was coming off a 101-79 rout of the New York Knicks on Sunday.Theyre one of the best teams in the NBA, Lowry said of the Blazers. Theyve got two All-Stars over there. Theyre a complete team.Known for their 3-point shooting, the Blazers were uncharacteristically 2 for 17 from beyond the arc in the first half. Portland had 16 or more 3-pointers in each of the past three games.After taking a 45-38 lead into the break, the Raptors extended their lead to 56-45 on James Johnsons tip shot in the third quarter.The Blazers showed some spark at the end of the third quarter when Lillard nailed a 3-pointer to narrow Torontos lead to 70-63.The Blazers chipped away and Lillards layup narrowed it to 83-82 with 4:23 left. Aldridge tied it making one of two free throws but Terrence Ross answered with a reverse dunk for the Raptors.Portland took its first lead since the games opening minutes on Aldridges jumper with 1:36 to go.Lowry missed an open jumper from the baseline, then his layup with 10 second left was blocked by Joel Freeland. But Amir Johnsons jumper with 4.7 seconds left tied it.Lillard missed a layup as time ran out in regulation.I love the way we competed in a hostile environment, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. If you can compete in that environment, the way we did tonight, you can compete in a lot of places.___TIP INSRaptors: Raptors guard Terrence Ross went to Portlands Jefferson High School. ...... Landry Fields has missed four games because of a concussion.Trail Blazers: Before the game the Blazers put centre Meyers Leonard on the inactive list with a left shoulder strain. ... Portland had won the previous 10 of 11 against the Raptors.PUT A BOW ON 2014Stotts is giving the Blazers the next two days off, including the New Years Day.Im pleased. I think anybody would have taken this record going into 2015, he said. The most important thing is that weve still got 49 games to go. Were not even halfway through. But its good to be where we are.UP NEXTThe Raptors visit the Golden State Warriors on Friday.The Trail Blazers host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Jahlil Okafor Jersey . -- Washingtons Bradley Beal seemed to make every shot he took in setting a career high with 37 points. Custom New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys . The Toronto Maple Leafs forward and Nashville Predators goaltender highlighted Mondays waiver transactions, with Calgarys Chuck Kobasew and Edmontons Philip Larsen also being placed on waivers. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Zion-...Edition-Jersey/. -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. Brandon Ingram Pelicans Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Frank Jackson Pelicans Jersey . "This doesnt end anything," he said. "Weve got 10-1 in our last 11 games, and were going home in first place. We just have to keep playing the way we are right now.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Mr. Fraser, In the PIT/NYR Round 2 series, there have been two separate occasions where Marc Staal has taken blatant shots to the head of Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby. In Game 3, Staal hit Crosby with a viscous crosscheck to the back of the head. I was shocked that a penalty wasnt even called on the ice! The league then came out the following day and said that no punishment would be handed down for the hit. The following night, in Game 4, Staal again went after Crosbys head. This time it was a blatant elbow. Again, it was from behind, to the back of the head, nearly knocking the helmet off Crosbys head. Again, there was no call on the ice, and no action taken by the league. Can you explain to me how the league and officials, in this era of "no tolerance" for hits to the head, can allow this kind of thing to go on? How can there be no call on the ice? Obviously, since there was no action for the league, or penalty called, in Game 3, Staal figured he was cleared to do it again in Game 4. I mean, if the NHL doesnt care about the well-being of its marquee players, why should Staal? Thanks for listening. Any light you can shed on this subject would be great! John Waclo John: The cross-check that Marc Staal delivered on Sidney Crosby was well beyond just a minor infraction (Video link) and worthy of at least a five-minute major and game misconduct. This aggressive cross-check delivered to the head area could not be considered an effort by a defensive player to contain, engage in a battle in battle or to clear an opponent from the front of the net. The blow did not start at the name plate on the back of the jersey and thhen rode up to the neck and back of the helmet.dddddddddddd This forceful, full-arm extension cross-check went directly to the back of the neck/head of Crosby and should be considered an attempt to injure and worthy of a match penalty under rule 59.4. For the sake of argument lets reverse the body position of Crosby where he and Staal are face-to-face. If that same force is delivered to the neck and chin of Sid he will most likely be spitting blood, chicklets and perhaps even incur another broken jaw. I would sincerely hope that a match penalty would be assessed in that case and a player would be suspended for cross-checking an opponent in the face! I see a deliberate and forceful cross-check to the back of a players neck and head to be similarly dangerous regardless of the fact it was delivered on a player with a well-documented history of concussions. If you want to see an "old school" hit take a look at the major and game misconduct I assessed to Darian Hatcher in a game in Dallas just prior to the playoffs, when he delivered an elbow to the face of Jeremy Roenick. Roenicks jaw was dislocated, broken in three places and he had eight teeth cracked or broken. Roenick approached me on the ice spitting blood and teeth with his jaw wagging in the breeze as he attempted to say, "He broke my f----n jaw!" Hatcher was suspended for seven games (including the Stars first five playoff games) by Colin Campbell for the illegal hit. See it here. John, you ask how these types of plays can be missed. The answer is there are too many "puck watchers" wearing stripes in these playoffs. Player safety is placed in jeopardy when these aggressive fouls are allowed to go un-penalized. This isnt "old school" officiating; just a lack of awareness. ' ' '