Habersroh: Why Houston should bench Lin

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Calderon's triple-double fuels short-handed Raps

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ESPN's Hollinger will join Grizzlies' front office

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Bynum: Kobe stunted my development in L.A.

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Felton hopes Knicks fans welcome Lin warmly

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Blazers get late help, hold off Hornets

Portland, OR (My Sportsbook) - Damian Lillard drained a 3-pointer within the final second as the Portland Trail Blazers held off a fourth-quarter surge by the New Orleans Hornets to take a 95-94 decision at the Rose Garden.

Lillard finished with 16 points, while J.J. Hickson poured in 24 points to go along with 16 rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 20 points before leaving the game late in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle for Portland, which won its third straight game.

Nicolas Batum filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals and five blocks in the victory. He became the first player since Jamaal Tinsley on Nov. 16, 2001, to record at least 10 assists, five steals and five blocks in a game.

Ryan Anderson paced New Orleans with 26 points and Greivis Vasquez recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 assists in the Hornets' seventh consecutive defeat.

New Orleans trailed. 75-63, heading into the fourth quarter, where Vasquez and Anderson each connected on 3-pointers during a 12-5 run to cut the Hornets deficit to 85-80 with 6:08 to play.

Vasquez later converted a layup and Anderson drilled another triple around a Luke Babbitt layup to make it a 90-87 game with a little over three minutes remaining.

After Aldridge missed a jumper two possessions later, Lance Thomas grabbed the rebound of a missed Vasquez trey and laid the ball in to get the Hornets within 90-89.

Aldridge gave the Trail Blazers back a three-point lead following a pair of missed shots by both teams before Austin Rivers drilled a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key to knot the game at 92-92 with 50.9 seconds left.

Lillard had a chance to put Portland back on top on the ensuing possession, but his shot from almost the same spot as Rivers' rimmed out.

Vasquez and Roger Mason Jr. would fail to give New Orleans its first lead of the contest at the other end and coming out of a timeout with 25.8 seconds to play, Lillard tossed an inbounds pass to Babbitt, who gave the ball right back to him and he used a screen to send up a shot from the right wing that fell through with three-tenths of a second left in the game to give the Trail Blazers the victory.

Thomas' quick layup at the buzzer accounted for the final margin.

"We bent, but we didn't break. I was pleased with that," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "We could have pushed our lead a little bit more. That bit us as the game went forward."

Portland controlled the game from the start as Wesley Matthews and Lillard each connected on a 3-pointer to bookend a 10-4 game-opening run.

The Hornets responded with five straight points to get within one, but they could not take the lead and four straight free throws by Lillard and Aldridge gave the Trail Blazers back a 14-9 cushion.

New Orleans got no closer than three points for the remainder of the first quarter and trailed, 25-19, heading into the second.

After Rivers opened the second quarter with a layup, Lillard capped a 9-1 spurt with a shot from beyond the arc to open up a 34-22 advantage.

The Hornets again answered with an 8-2 push to get back within six at the midpoint of the frame, but Portland outscored New Orleans, 18-13, for the remainder of the half to carry a 54-43 lead into the break.

A Robin Lopez layup closed New Orleans' deficit to 62-53 early in the third quarter before Hickson netted seven points in a 9-0 run to give the Trail Blazers a comfortable 71-55 advantage with a little over five minutes left in the third.

Portland held a double-digit advantage for the rest of the third.

"We put ourselves in a hole in the first half with turnovers, giving them easy buckets, and we had a couple of guys who just didn't give us much tonight," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "A lot of nights we're outmatched talent- wise, but when you fight like that you give yourself a chance to win."

Game Notes

New Orleans has not won a game on the road since Nov. 26 ... Portland has won the last five meetings between the teams ... The Hornets held a 43-36 advantage on the glass and outscored Portland in the paint, 46-36.

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National Basketball Association Game Capsules

Toronto, ON (My Sportsbook) - Jose Calderon recorded his second triple-double of the season with 18 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds in the Toronto Raptors' 103-96 win over the Houston Rockets. Alan Anderson netted 24 points and DeMar DeRozan added 19 points and seven boards for Toronto, which has won two straight on the heels of a six-game losing skid. Ed Davis donated 13 points in the triumph. James Harden led all scorers with 28 points for the Rockets, who have dropped four of their last six contests. Marcus Morris tallied 19 points, while Omer Asik registered seven points and 13 boards in defeat.

Final Score: LA Lakers 111, Philadelphia 98

Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - Kobe Bryant returned to his hometown and dropped a game-high 34 points and handed out six assists as the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 111-98 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center. Dwight Howard netted 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds, while Darius Morris scored 15 points on 5-of-8 from the floor for Los Angeles, which has won back-to-back games since losing four in a row. Metta World Peace donated 19 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, while former Sixer Jodie Meeks added 12 points in the victory. Nick Young scored a season-high 30 points, while Evan Turner contributed 16 points and six assists for Philadelphia, which played without point guard Jrue Holiday for the second consecutive game due to a foot injury. Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young gave 16 and 14 points, respectively, in the setback, the Sixers' third in a row.

Final Score: Denver 122, Sacramento 97

Sacramento, CA (My Sportsbook) - JaVale McGee led six Denver players in double figures with 19 points as the Nuggets stomped the Sacramento Kings, 122-97, on Sunday. Danilo Gallinari had 18 points and Jordan Hamilton added 15 for the Nuggets, winners in three of their last four. Andre Iguodala had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while Ty Lawson dropped in 11 points to go with seven assists. Kosta Koufus posted 12 points and seven rebounds in the win. Isaiah Thomas finished with 20 points while DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson each registered a double-double for the Kings, who have dropped four straight. Cousins had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Thompson finished with 16 points and 10 boards in the setback.

Final Score: Portland 95, New Orleans 94

Portland, OR (My Sportsbook) - Damian Lillard drained a 3-pointer within the final second as the Portland Trail Blazers held off a fourth-quarter surge by the New Orleans Hornets to take a 95-94 decision at the Rose Garden. Lillard finished with 16 points, while J.J. Hickson poured in 24 points to go along with 16 rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 20 points for Portland, which won its third straight game. Nicolas Batum filled the stat sheet with 11 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals and five blocks in the victory. He became the first player since Jamaal Tinsley on Nov. 16, 2001, to record at least 10 assists, five steals and five blocks in a game. Ryan Anderson paced New Orleans with 26 points and Greivis Vasquez recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 assists in the Hornets' seventh consecutive defeat.

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