Portland Trail Blazers Cruise Past Sixers and Look Towards Lakers

"Beat L.A.! Beat L.A.!" were the words that the sold-out Rose Garden crowd chanted in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

The Portland Trail Blazers had already closed out the Philadelphia 76ers, and the crowd was ready for their next game in Los Angeles.

Gerald Wallace played his best game as a Trail Blazer, putting up 25 points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals in Portland's 110-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

Wesley Matthews led all scorers with 28 points and six rebounds, and LaMarcus Aldridge had an easy 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Matthews scored 17 of his 28 in the first quarter, when the Blazers outscored the Sixers 36-27. The rest of the game was merely Portland maintaining their lead.

"We came out tonight and played great," said Aldridge. "Wesley got going early. Gerald came through late and closed it out for us."

Lou Williams scored 24 points and dished out four assists off the bench for the Sixers. Thaddeus Young had 19 points and six rebounds, and Jodie Meeks had 17 points, shooting 3-of-5 from downtown.

"Philly's a good team," said Coach Nate McMillan during a press conference. "That's speed out there, it was going to be a challenge for us. I thought Nick was really good on the ball."

But as humble as McMillan might want to be, this was an easy game for the Blazers. The Sixers were really a warm-up game for what's to come Sunday night: the Los Angeles Lakers, who have swept Portland so far this season.

If the Blazers are going to give the Lakers a run for their money, Brandon Roy is going to have to step up and make some plays.

Against the Sixers, Roy had six points in 17 minutes. But with Mathews' exceptional play and Wallace's defensive expertise, there's no telling what could happen in Los Angeles.

"The Lakers, in L.A. and Kobe Bryant," said Matthews in the locker room. "That's the challenge right there. We felt we had them at our place. We just gotta do the same thing, play the exact same way. Even though we lost... Hopefully, Kobe doesn't make those two tough shots again."