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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Farewell to two prominent personalities ... Crescent fire near Diamond Lake grows by 1,000 acres ... Firefighters at National Creek fire complex get help from weather ... Our View: Farewell to two prominent personalities ... Crescent fire near Diamond Lake grows by 1,000 acres ... Firefighters at National Creek fire complex get help from weather ... NBA Blazers outlast T'wolves Aldridge propels Portland past shorthanded Minnesota Comment By Anne M. Peterson The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Anne M. Peterson The Associated Press Posted Dec. 1, 2014 at 2:00 AM By Anne M. Peterson The Associated Press Posted Dec. 1, 2014 at 2:00 AM » Social News PORTLAND — Even LaMarcus Aldridge didn’t feel well. Fending off a cold, Aldridge nonetheless had 26 points and 15 rebounds in Portland’s 107-93 victory Sunday night over the Timberwolves, a game where the ill and injured seem to outnumber the healthy. The Timberwolves used just 10 players and two of them, Andrew Wiggins and Mo Williams, played even though they were ailing. Despite being shorthanded, they still kept the Blazers off balance. “They were in a zone and we just didn’t do a good job reading it,” Aldridge said. Wesley Matthews added 23 points for the Blazers, including six 3-pointers for his third straight game with at least five 3-pointers. The Blazers led by as many as 16 points in the second half. Portland (13-4) was coming off a 112-99 loss to Memphis on Friday night that snapped a nine-game winning streak. “In the end it looked like a good game, but it was a struggle for most of the night as far as just kind of getting into a rhythm,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “Minnesota did a good job of changing things up, going with a zone, so it was a game that I felt didn’t have a lot of rhythm.” Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench with a career-high 28 points for Minnesota, which used just nine players. The Timberwolves have won just four games this season, including a 120-119 win in Los Angeles over the Lakers on Friday. Injuries and illness have decimated the Timberwolves (4-11). The latest was rookie forward Andrew Wiggins, who played just under 19 minutes after he was a game-time decision with a flu-like illness. He sat out the entire fourth quarter. The Timberwolves were already playing without guards Ricky Rubio (left ankle) and Kevin Martin (fractured right wrist), and centers Nikola Petrovic (sprained right wrist) and Ronny Turiaf (right hip). Williams, who played last season for the Trail Blazers, was playing for Minnesota despite battling strep throat and pink eye. He finished with 21 points and 11 assists, playing 40 minutes. “I’m a team guy so I’m going to do whatever it takes until we can get back healthy,” Williams said, but added about his minutes: “I feel it. I feel it right now.” Portland was without guard Will Barton because of gastritis. Damian Lillard had also fought a bug earlier in the week. The Timberwolves went up 30-22 on the Blazers after Anthony Bennett’s 21-foot jumper in the second quarter. Portland closed the gap and tied it 36-36 on Joel Freeland’s basket before pulling in front on Allen Crabbe’s 3-pointer. Aldridge’s buzzer-beating layup gave the Blazers the 48-40 lead at the half. The Blazers extended the lead to 61-48 on Wesley Matthew’s 3-pointer with 7:24 left in the third quarter. Portland had an 8-0 run to close out the quarter for a 75-61 lead. The Timberwolves closed within 89-80 on Gorgui Dieng’s short jumper with 6:46 left. Thadeus Young’s layup narrowed it to 91-84. Lillard hit a 3-pointer with 4:10 left to extend Portland’s lead to 96-85. Lillard finished with 17 points. “I though defensively our zone was good tonight,” Minnesota coach Flip Saunder said. “But they scored a lot of their offense out of our offense. We had some turnovers and some ill-advised shots, and they were able to score in those situations.” With 15 rebounds Sunday night, Aldridge moved into a tie with Buck Williams for the fourth-most career rebounds in franchise history, at 4,861. By Anne M. Peterson The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Anne M. 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