PORTLAND, Ore. -- Winning is becoming a habit for the Portland Trail Blazers. They can make only 35 percent of their shots and still win.
It helped, of course, that the Golden State Warriors were even worse from the field Tuesday night, when the Blazers improved their league-best record to 21-5 with a 79-72 win.Isaiah Rider scored 11 of his 15 points in the third quarter, when the Blazers made their only sustained scoring run of the game and took a 65-57 lead into the fourth. But it got real ugly in the last 12 minutes.
"We won, whether it was ugly or pretty, we won the game," Portland's Damon Stoudamire said. "That's all that matters. We shut 'em down at the end."
Some of the Warriors, on the other hand, seemed happy with coming close.
"We might be the only team in the league to come up here and play them hard and close at the end," Donyell Marshall said. "I can't remember more than three games this season when we have been blown out. We think we can make the playoffs."
The Warriors, who were led by Jason Caffey's 18 points and 11 rebounds, closed within two with 3:17 left in the game.
But Golden State missed its last five shots, while Rider and Rasheed Wallace each made a pair of free throws to keep the Blazers comfortably in front.
RAPTORS 113, BULLS 90: Dee Brown made seven 3-point shots, and Toronto won at Chicago for the first time ever.
Brown scored 25 points and Vince Carter had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Raptors, who had been 0-6 at Chicago.
The Bulls lost Toni Kukoc midway through the second quarter because of a lower back strain.
SPURS 112, NUGGETS 82: David Robinson, held to 10 points or less in his three previous games, scored 17, and Tim Duncan had 19 for San Antonio.
Robinson shot 7-for-10 from the field and also had nine rebounds in 28 points. Nick Van Exel led visiting Denver with 18 points.
CAVALIERS 113, CELTICS 86: Shawn Kemp scored 17 points and led a 10-0 burst in the third quarter that broke open the game at Cleveland.
Kemp had 13 points and seven rebounds in the third period. Wesley Person finished with 19 points for the Cavaliers.
MAGIC 86, HORNETS 78: Reserve Darrell Armstrong scored a career-high 28 points, and Orlando ended Charlotte's three-game winning streak.
Armstrong made eight of 14 shots from the field and was 11-for-11 from the foul line.