Aldridge leads Blazers to 99-93 win over Hornets

PORTLAND, Ore. — LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away from short-handed New Orleans and beat the Hornets 99-93 on Thursday night.

Wesley Matthews added 18 points and Luke Babbitt had a career-high 16 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Blazers, who are 4-4 since the dismissal of head coach Nate McMillan.

Marco Belinelli had 27 points and Carl Landry had 24 for the Hornets, who sit in last place in the Western Conference.

Landry's dunk with 4:09 left tied it at 89, Aldridge's fadeaway jumper put Portland back in front, and Raymond Felton and Nicolas Batum hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 97-90 with 58.9 seconds left.

The Blazers have won four straight against the Hornets.