e the chance. Only Hiller kept the score close with a handful of stellar pla

MILWAUKEE -- The Portland Trail Blazers kept up their strong start and extended the Milwaukee Bucks early-season woes. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 21 points, Damian Lillard added 19 and the Trail Blazers got their eighth straight win, beat the Bucks 91-82 Wednesday night. Portland held the lead throughout the second half but had difficulty pulling away until late in the fourth quarter. "We got a win. Thats all Im worried about," said Portland guard Wesley Matthews, who had 15 points, all in the first half to help the Blazers complete a sweep of a four-game Eastern Conference road trip. "To finish a road trip undefeated and to do it with the defence and energy that we had in the second half is great," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. Luke Ridnour scored 13 points to lead the Bucks, who lost their sixth in row and eight of 10 on the season. They last won on Nov. 6 against Cleveland. Portlands last loss came a night earlier against Houston. "Our margin of error is very small," Bucks coach Larry Drew said. "Were trying to dig ourselves out of a hole and the only way to do that is to play every possession like its going to be the last possession. Portland is hot, needless to say, but we were right there but just couldnt get over the hump." Milwaukee pulled within six points late in the fourth on Caron Butlers 3-pointer. However, Lillard had a breakaway dunk and a 3 of his own to put Portland up 89-78 -- matching the Blazers largest lead of the game. The Bucks got no closer than seven again. "We are in positions to win games but in the fourth quarter we are just making mistakes," Milwaukees Zaza Pachulia said. "We have to keep getting better individually and as a team because nobody is happy in this locker room." Portland shot just 41 per cent for the game while winning for the 10th time in 12 games this season. "Our mentality is right. Were thinking greedy, were thinking win like were supposed to," Matthews said. Bucks guard O.J. Mayo, who had nine points, added to the Bucks injury woes when he sprained his left ankle. Portland opened the third quarter on a 8-0 run to take a 61-51 lead. The Blazers took an 11-point lead late in the quarter when Nicolas Batum hit a 3 as he fell to the court. The Bucks responded as Ersan Ilyasova scored his first points of the contest when he made a 3, then followed it with a leaner in the lane to cut the deficit to 70-64 at the end of the quarter. Portland held a 53-51 lead at the half. The second quarter ended with an exchange of traditional three-point plays. Lillard drew a foul after making a reverse layup on a strong drive to the basket. Ridnour then made an acrobatic floater along the baseline while being fouled as the clock wound down. Ridnour, who has been battling a back injury, had 11 first-half points for the Bucks. Milwaukee shot 50 per cent over the first two quarters, compared to nearly 49 per cent for the Blazers. Milwaukee finished the game at 44 per cent, while Portland connected on just 41 per cent of its shots. Stotts said he was disappointed with his teams first-half defence. "In the first half, there were three or four times where we had a chance to really nail down a defensive possession and it seemed like (Milwaukee) came up with the ball and finished the play." Matthews, returning to the arena where he starred in college for Marquette, scored 13 points in the first quarter, including a trio of 3-point field goals, but the Bucks held a 24-23 lead. NOTES: Ilyasova and Butler returned to the Bucks lineup after missing time because of injuries. Ilyasova saw his first action since Nov. 2. Brandon Knight remained out with a sore hamstring. Ten players saw action in the opening period for the Bucks, who dressed only eight players for a Nov. 13 game against Orlando. ... Portland has won eight in a row in the same season for the first time since a 13-game streak in December 2007. Wade Baldwin Blazers Jersey . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. Jusuf Nurkic Blazers Jersey . - Roger Federer squandered a big lead and lost to No. https://www.blazerslockerroom.com/Jaylen-Hoard-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- Steven Stamkos scored his first goal since returning from a major injury, Ryan Callahan had his first goal with Tampa Bay, and the Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Thursday night. Jaylen Hoard Blazers Jersey .Y. - His opponent couldnt stop him, and LeBron James didnt quite know what to think when his coach tried. Zach Collins Blazers Jersey . Henderson (20-3) received winning scores of 48-47 and 49-46, and the other judge scored it 48-47 for Thomson (20-6). The announcement drew boos from the United Center crowd. "Train this hard for this long, its such a long camp and I see my title shot disappear," said Thomson, who fought most of the fight with a broken right hand.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Dan Ellis learned a few things about the Anaheim Ducks top scorers during 1 1/2 seasons as the teams backup goalie, and he put all that knowledge to work in a breakthrough victory for the Dallas Stars. Ellis made 26 saves against his former team in his 14th career shutout, and Trevor Daley scored in the Stars 2-0 victory over the Ducks on Saturday night. Ellis played in 23 games as a backup in Anaheim from February 2011 to 2012, but did his best work while absorbing innumerable shots in practice from Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne. Ellis used that familiarity throughout his second victory over the Ducks this season, even denying Perrys point-blank chance in the final minute by getting an outstretched pad in front of an open net. "Ive practiced with them, and I understand some things they like to do," Ellis said with a smile. Captain Jamie Benn added an empty-net goal with 28 seconds left for the Stars, who snapped a five-game road skid with one of their biggest wins of a mediocre season. Ellis had sat out the Stars previous nine games since Jan. 12, and he acknowledged a bit of game rust in his return. But Kari Lehtonens veteran backup posted Dallas third shutout victory in its last six games, and coach Lindy Ruff said Ellis probably will get more playing time in the final week before Lehtonen and Ruff head to the Olympics. "He gave us a rock-solid game," Ruff said of Ellis. "We only had a couple of big breakdowns, and he was there for us." After the game, Ellis met up in the hallway between the dressing rooms with Jonas Hiller, the Ducks starter during Ellis time with the club. "I loved my time here," Ellis said. "Its still the best place Ive ever played and lived in, but it was good to get these two points for us." Hiller stopped 25 shots for the NHL-leading Ducks, who were shut out for the first time all season. Anaheim has lost three of five at Honda Center after opening the season 20-0-2 at home. At the start of a four-game stretch over eight days before the Olympic break, the grind of the regular season is finally hitting the Ducks aafter two spectacular months.ddddddddddddAnaheim is 4-4 since Jan. 15, but still five points ahead of defending champion Chicago atop the overall standings. "We didnt have any sustained pressure," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Against a team like Dallas, you have to win the board battles. If you dont win them, their speed is so good, its going to be a real tough game for you." The Ducks played without third-leading scorer Nick Bonino after the versatile centre injured his wrist. Boudreau also scratched healthy offence-minded forwards Dustin Penner and Kyle Palmieri. While Anaheims roll has slowed, Dallas is looking to build momentum into the break during a three-game West Coast trip over the next five days. The Stars began the day in an 11th-place tie in the Western Conference. After a scoreless first period, Daley got his fourth goal of the season early in the second on the rebound of a shot by centre Cody Eakin, who blew by Patrick Maroon to create the chance. Only Hiller kept the score close with a handful of stellar plays in the final two periods, including a post-to-post toe save on Rich Peverley late in the second. Hiller has lost his last three home starts after his franchise-record 14-game winning streak ended last month. "It seems like one game we play pretty good, then the next game it seems like weve lost everything again," Hiller said. "We dont have that consistency. You cant just always think you can come back in the third period to win a game." Anaheim had several decent chances in the final minutes, but was shut out for the first time since last March 27. The Ducks also lost defenceman Mark Fistric to a lower-body injury early in the game. NOTES: Along with Bonino, the Ducks had three prominent healthy scratches who have combined for 90 points this season: Penner, Palmieri and D Bryan Allen. ... Just 41 seconds in, Eakin skated to the Stars dressing room with a bloody cut on his face after he got hit by the puck. He returned for the second period. ... Daley has three goals in his last 10 games after scoring just once in his first 31 this season. ' ' '