PORTLAND, Ore. - Each time that LaMarcus Aldridge went to the free-throw line late in the game against the Washington Wizards, the Trail Blazers forward was showered with a chant of MVP, MVP, from the hometown fans.Just two days before, Aldridge had announced he was going to have surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb and would miss the next six to eight weeks.But in a dramatic turn, he announced Saturday that hed play through the pain. And hours later, he had 26 points and nine rebounds in the Blazers 103-96 victory over the Wizards.Even the public address announcer at the Moda Center beckoned the crowd to cheer him for a curtain call as he finally left the court.Im not into the rah-rah story, Aldridge said. I just wanted to come back and play. I wanted to test it out at home, and versus these guys because I felt they were a physical team, and if I could play against these guys then that would be good. And I was OK.Damian Lillard added 20 points and seven assists as the Blazers snapped two-game losing streak.Tied at 79 midway through the fourth quarter, Wesley Matthews made two 3-pointers that gave Portland an 87-85 with 3:28 left. Lillards 3 extended the lead 92-85.Nenes layup closed the Wizards to 94-91 but he missed a free throw then fouled Meyers Leonard on a 3-point attempt on the other end. Leonard made all three free throws to put Portland up 97-91 with 1:07 left and Washington couldnt catch up.John Wall, this week was named an Eastern Conference starter for the All-Star game, led the Wizards with 25 points and nine assists.The Wizards, coming off a 105-103 overtime loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday, led by as many as 14 points in the first half.In the third quarter they really started to make their shots and we didnt. It started to look a lot like the OKC game, Wall said. We gave ourselves opportunities, we just didnt close out possessions.The Blazers had lost five of their last six, including Thursday nights last-second 90-89 loss to the Boston Celtics.It was Aldridges night after he surprised many by deciding to play despite his proclamation 48 hours earlier that he was planning to undergo surgery. He hurt his thumb on Monday against the Sacramento Kings and missed two games, both Portland losses.Now, hell take it a game at a time, he said.My idea now is to play the rest of the season, he said. But if it gets too much where I cant handle it or Im not playing at a very good level then Ill stop. But hopefully it goes well for us.Despite the emotional boost from his return, the Blazers didnt hit a shot from the floor in the first 4 minutes of the game. Then Aldridge made his first two jumpers.The Wizards took advantage of the slow start and led 32-20 after the first quarter. Nene paced Washington with 11 points.CJ McCollum hit a 3-pointer that pulled the Blazers to 43-39 but Wall answered with a jumper and the Wizards led 55-45 at the break.Wesley Matthews answered with a 3 for the Blazers to narrow the gap to 66-61. Dorrell Wright got Portland closer with a falling-down 3 and a free throw that made it 68-67.Aldridge hit a 20-foot-jumper to finally pull the Blazers in front, capping their 16-5 run.But it was short-lived and the Wizards led 70-69 going into the final quarter.___TIP INSWizards: It was the first of a four-game Western Conference road swing for Washington. ... Nene fouled out on the foul against Leonard. ... The Wizards were 9-0 when leading after the three quarters on the road going into the game against the Blazers.Trail Blazers: The Blazers distributed special lapel ribbons to the fans at the Moda Center to call attention to owner Paul Allens campaign to fight the spread of Ebola. Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft who also owns the Seattle Seahawks, has already pledged $100 million toward the effort.PIERCES MILESTONEPaul Pierce hit a 3, the 2,000th of his career, to put the Wizards up 66-58 midway through the third quarter. Pierce is the fourth player all-time to reach that milestone. He joins Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Jason Terry.MONEY AT THE LINEThe Blazers were a perfect 20-for-20 from the free throw line, including 15 free throws in the final quarter. It is just the seventh time in team history that theyve been perfect from the line with 20 or more attempts.UP NEXTWizards: At Denver on Sunday night.Trail Blazers: At Brooklyn on Monday. Wholesale MLB Jerseys . The third-ranked Buckeyes were down eight points to Notre Dame with less than 2 minutes to play and their offence was nowhere to be found. Fake MLB Jerseys . The seventh-ranked Berdych wants to focus on the ATP Tour after helping the Czechs beat the Netherlands in the first round. Seeking their third straight Davis Cup title, the Czechs will rely again on veteran Radek Stepanek. https://www.baseballjerseys.store/. The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT. MLB Jerseys . The league-leading New York Rangers outhit and outmuscled the Maple Leafs during a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Backup goalie Martin Biron stopped all 20 shots he faced to complete a nice workmanlike effort by the visitors. Baseball Jerseys 2021 . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) – He had good saves on Giroux, Akeson, and Hartnell tonight.MILAN, Italy -- Roma kept up the pressure on Serie A leader Juventus with a comfortable 3-1 win against Atalanta on Saturday which saw the capital side equal the club record number of victories in a season. Rodrigo Taddei, Adem Ljajic and Gervinho scored to help Roma to its 24th league win of the season, matching the record by Luciano Spallettis side in 2007-08 and achieved again under Claudio Ranieri two years later. Giulio Migliaccio headed in a consolation for Atalanta. Roma moved provisionally five points behind Juventus, which visits Udinese on Monday. Ljajic had played just 25 minutes in the past six matches but the Serbia striker started, with Mattia Destro, Alessandro Florenzi and Miralem Pjanic all suspended. He hit the post as well as scoring and providing an assist. "I havent played a lot recently but thats football," Ljajic said. "The coach decides. Im always ready and once again I gave my utmost to help my teammates. It went well. "We gave an important sign today. We played well and we won. Well watch the game on Monday and hope for the best. Unfortunately it doesnt depend on us, it depends on them. Well do our part and well see." Atalanta remained in eighth place following a second successive defeat as it lost ground in the race for a Europa League place. Earlier, Sassuolo picked up a vital point in its fight against relegation as it drew 1-1 at home to fellow struggler Cagliari. Taddei gave Roma the lead in the 13th minute when Dodo hooked the ball back off the byline for Francesco Totti but it fell for the Brazilian, who fired in poowerfully from the edge of the box.dddddddddddd Totti was looking dangerous and went close several times to scoring the goal which would have seen him draw level with former Juventus star Alessandro Del Pieros 289 goals. The Italian World Cup winner provided Ljajic with Romas second goal with a delightful chip over the defence to Daniele De Rossi, who controlled the ball before cutting back for the Serbian. Atalanta almost got back into the game early in the second half but De Rossi blocked German Denis shot with goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis grounded. Gervinho sealed the result shortly after the hour mark after being put through by Ljajic following a backheel flick by Totti. Ljajic also hit the right post in an impressive performance and he was applauded off the pitch when he was substituted three minutes from time. Atalanta pulled one back 12 minutes from time when Migliaccio powerfully headed Yohan Benalouanes cross into the bottom left corner. Cagliari had a new coach after Ivo Pulga replaced the sacked Diego Lopez but Sassuolo was full of confidence after last weeks surprise win at in-form Atalanta, and took the lead nine minutes from halftime. Simone Zaza escaped Cagliari defender Davide Astori to run onto Nicola Sansones through ball and fire in under the crossbar. Cagliari levelled when Luca Antei tripped Victor Ibarbo in the opening minute of the second half and Agim Ibraimi converted the resulting penalty. Sassuolo moved provisionally level on points with Livorno in the bottom three, two points off safety. It remained eight points behind Cagliari. ' ' '