(SportsNetwork.com) - The Portland Trail Blazers will carry a five-game winning streak into Mondays crucial Western Conference showdown against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. The Blazers havent lost since Dec. 12 in Chicago and are 2-0 on this current four-game road trip. Portland will wrap up the sojourn Tuesday night in Oklahoma City. Portland started the roadie with a 129-119 triple-overtime victory in San Antonio over the reigning NBA champion Spurs. One night later, with tired legs, the Blazers were extremely impressive in a 114-88 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. There was no hangover for Portland, as LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in its wire-to-wire victory. Damian Lillard, fresh off his 43-point performance against San Antonio, scored 17 points, and the Blazers led by as many as 34 by shooting 57.1 percent from the field over the first three quarters. I think that was an impressive back-to-back with the win last night with how we won that in triple overtime and then to come out with the energy and focus that we had tonight, from beginning to end, that was a very impressive back- to-back win for us, said Portland coach Terry Stotts. Chris Kaman chipped in 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting for Portland, which has won three in a row on the road. The Rockets have dropped two straight, both at home. Mondays contest will complete their homestand and things dont get easier as the Rockets visit the Memphis Grizzlies and Spurs. On Saturday, Houston fell to the Atlanta Hawks, 104-97. The Rockets lost back- to-back home games for the first time since November of last season and also had a 19-game home winning streak against Eastern Conference opponents halted. Dwight Howard paced the Rockets with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while James Harden supplied 18 points and a career-high 14 assists. Jason Terry and Patrick Beverley each had 14 points in the loss. Harden left the game briefly in the first half with a strained hamstring but returned to action. He leads the NBA with 26.3 points per game. The Rockets acquired Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Alexey Shved from the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, but both players were inactive. Houston dealt Troy Daniels and some cash to acquire the two wings. The Rockets waived Francisco Garcia to make room for their newest additions. The first half we were just slow to everything and they were knocking down shots, said Harden. (Then) we started playing our brand of basketball. Beverley tied the game at 90-90 on a 3-pointer with 3:08 left in the contest. Terry then committed a traveling violation before Al Horford found Paul Millsap inside for a bucket and Kyle Korver nailed a triple on the following possession to make it a five-point game with 1:29 to play. Terrys floater was off the mark out of a timeout, then Dennis Schroder netted a pair of free throws at the other end to increase the cushion. The Blazers bested the Rockets in six games during the first round of last seasons playoffs. The Rockets have won nine of the last 12 against the Blazers in the regular season. Houston has taken six of the previous eight as the host in this series. Vapormax 95 Canada . Speaking with TSN 1050 following Brendan Shanahans introductory press conference, the Leafs GM also addressed the clubs perceived leadership issues and the type of working relationship that can be expected within Torontos front office. Nike Air Force 1 Just Do It Canada . Nat Borchers headed in the sole goal in the 54th minute, getting on the end of a Kyle Beckerman free kick. The defeat cost Sporting top spot in the Eastern Conference. Even a draw would have moved the Kansas City club above Columbus. http://www.airvapormaxcanada.com/ . Whenever United loses, its crisis. When other top teams slip up, its the quirky nature of the Premier League. The predictable reaction speaks to the sky-high expectations for a team proven perennial contender and 13 times Premier League champion. Nike Vapormax Clearance . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event. Vapormax Plus Womens Sale . “Im not sure well get Melky Cabrera at all,” said Gibbons. The 29-year-old left fielder struggled all season with knee and hamstring problems. Cabrera was first on the disabled list from June 27-July 20 with tendinitis in his left knee. TORONTO -- Injured Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow doesnt have a timeline in place for his return to the lineup. Hes just happy to have his uniform on and be back with teammates after a long stint away from the club while rehabilitating a finger injury. Morrow returned to Rogers Centre on Tuesday and made 25 throws from 60 feet before the team took batting practice. It was the latest step in his recovery after suffering a torn tendon sheath in his throwing hand on May 2. "Its not 100 per cent but its not painful," Morrow said. "Its just kind of stiff from not really using it for six weeks. It actually feels better after I throw. It loosens it up and the range of motion gets better. "So its been great. Throwing has been good for the last week." Morrow had been rehabilitating in Arizona, spending up to two hours a day doing grip exercises to slowly strengthen his index finger. "Theres a lot of pinching and a lot of Play-Doh squeezing," he said. "Thats it really." Over the weekend, he took another step and started throwing from 45 feet. While the sessions would barely get his shoulder warm, Morrow understands its all part of the slow, long process of regaining strength and mobility. "It can heal back and thats what were hoping for," he said. "If there was no chance of it doing that, then I would have just had surgery that first week. But theres obviously a good chance of rehabbing it naturally I guess, and avoiding surgery and being healthy and getting it back to where I need it to be." Morrow, whos 1-2 with a 5.dddddddddddd3 earned-run average this season, had his finger completely immobilized for two weeks after the injury. He couldnt lift upper-body weights for about four weeks until he felt comfortable gripping things again. Morrow wore a custom brace on his finger while throwing Tuesday. "Theres no doubt that if (his recovery) continues the way it has been that Ill pitch again this year," he said. "I cant put a date on it. They just put together a calendar for me, which I havent even seen. This is my fifth day throwing so its too early to say." The 29-year-old native of Santa Rosa, Calif., was tabbed to be a key part of the Toronto rotation this season. His potential return could give the first-place Blue Jays a nice boost for the stretch drive. "Thats what Im looking to do is to come in at a really crucial point in the season and be able to pitch the way that I have in the past and contribute and add something to the team," Morrow said. There were hugs and handshakes all around Tuesday afternoon as he caught up with teammates in the clubhouse and dugout before Tuesday nights game against the New York Yankees. "I think it was for my own sanity to come back," Morrow joked. "But yeah, Im to the point where I dont need the hand therapy three times a week anymore, where the rehab is more now throwing and getting back into a regular baseball throwing program routine. "It makes sense to make that transition from doing the small stuff to more of the baseball stuff. So it makes sense to come back." ' ' '
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