PORTLAND, Oregon — Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge had a career-high 44 points and 13 rebounds to power the Trail Blazers to a 110-105 win over Denver Thursday, moving them within a game of the NBA Western Conference lead. In the day's other games, Miami never trailed in beating the struggling Los Angeles Lakers. Portland's Wesley Matthews added 24 points for the Blazers, who had lost their previous two games but maintained a record of not having lost three in a row all season. Wilson Chandler had 18 points for Denver, which led by 15 points in the third quarter and looked set for an impressive road win, but could not hold off Portland's comeback. The teams wrestled for control of the game in the closing stages and the Nuggets were still in with a chance in the dying seconds, but Chandler missed a jump shot with eight seconds left and Aldridge made more free throws for the final margin. Miami's Chris Bosh scored 31 points and LeBron James added 27 points and 13 rebounds to guide the Heat to a 109-102 win over the Lakers. Miami has now beaten Los Angeles eight times out of nine, taking this one by shooting 58 percent and outrebounding the Lakers 48-35. Jodie Meeks and Pau Gasol each scored 22 points for the Lakers, who have won only three of their past 17 games. This was a more competitive performance, coming from 16 points down to be within four in the last minute. Bosh had the biggest shot of the night with 54.4 seconds left, head-faking his way free at the top of the key, stepping in and hitting a 20-footer to give Miami a 108-101 lead and making it a three-possession game. The Heat forced a miss on the Lakers' next trip, then held on. Miami was without Dwyane Wade for the fourth straight game due to his persistent knee problems. 4 first-timers in All-Star game Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, Paul George and Kyrie Irving have all been voted NBA All-Stars, putting four first-time starters in the Feb. 16 game in New Orleans. Kobe Bryant was elected by fans to his 16th All-Star game, second-most in NBA history, but this one is shaping up as a game for the next generation. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 19, was selected to more All-Star games. Bryant indicated Thursday he'd rather skip the mid-season exhibition. “With all due respect to the fans that voted me in, I certainly appreciate that, they know how much I appreciate that, but you've got to do the right thing as well,” Bryant said shortly before watching his Lakers fall to the Miami Heat. Curry will join him in the Western Conference backcourt, with Love in the frontcourt along with Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant and the Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin. LeBron James was the leading vote-getter with 1.4 million votes and will be joined in the Eastern Conference team by Miami teammate Dwyane Wade. George, who has led Indiana to the league's best record, and New York's Carmelo Anthony are the other East forwards, and Irving will start at guard. The four first-time starters are all 25 or younger. Curry went to All-Star weekend as a kid when his father, Dell, competed in the 3-point contest, and now he'll finally get to play in the game. The reserves will be announced next Thursday. Head coaches in each conference will vote for two guards, three frontcourt players and two players regardless of position. — Agencies
