PHILADELPHIA — The Portland Trail Blazers nearly shot their way into the NBA record book.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 16 rebounds, Nicolas Batum added 17 points and the Trail Blazers set a franchise record for 3-pointers with 21 in their 139-105 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.
Damian Lillard scored 16 and Dorell Wright had 15 on 5-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Wesley Matthews added 14 points for the Northwest Division leaders, who won their third in a row and improved to 20-4.
They became the second NBA team to reach 20 wins, joining the Indiana Pacers (20-3).
“Everyone is taking shots with confidence,” Wright said. “It doesn’t surprise me when guys are making shots like that because we have a lot of great shooters.”
Mo Williams also had 14 points, Robin Lopez 12 and Thomas Robinson 10 for Portland, which put eight players in double figures and moved to 10-2 on the road.
The Trail Blazers broke their club record for 3-pointers for the second time in eight days after hitting 17 against Utah on Dec. 6.
In the process, they racked up 139 points, the most by any team in the league this season. The Los Angeles Clippers scored 137 against the Houston Rockets on Nov. 4.
Portland fell two 3-pointers shy of the NBA mark for a game.
“I know we made a lot of 3s and it was all in the flow of the game,” Lillard said. “Guys made good plays to get guys looks and we’ve got good shooters.”
Tony Wroten led the reeling Sixers with 18 points and Hollis Thompson had 17. Spencer Hawes added 16, Thaddeus Young had 15 and James Anderson 14.
Playing once again without rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams, the Sixers have dropped six straight and 10 of the last 11 games. Carter-Williams sat out for the sixth consecutive game because of a skin infection on his right knee.
The Sixers are 1-9 without Carter-Williams, the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November.
“I want to leave it far behind — really, really far behind,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said of the loss.
Portland broke open a close game with some stellar shooting, especially from beyond the arc.
The Trail Blazers hit 11 of their first 20 tries from 3-point range and were 18 for 32 by the end of the third quarter for a 111-79 lead. Wright hit No. 18 to break the team record as the third-quarter buzzer sounded.
“This is one of those games where they were making all their shots and all we can do sometimes is throw our hands up,” Young said. “It’s like, ‘What else is there to do?’ “
It was the latest record-setting performance for the streaking Blazers. In their previous game two nights ago, a 111-104 victory over Houston, Aldridge posted the first 30-point, 25-rebound game in franchise history.
This time, the Trail Blazers didn’t need nearly as much from Aldridge with such a balanced effort up and down the lineup.
“We’ve got good shooters,” coach Terry Stotts said. “They have a track record of being good shooters.”
The Sixers never posed a serious threat in the fourth.
The Blazers led by as many as seven points in the first half and wound up with a 71-64 advantage heading into the locker room.
NOTES: Wroten was whistled for a technical foul with 8:36 remaining in the third quarter. … The 71 points allowed in the first marked the most given up by the Sixers in any half this season. … Aldridge had a double-double for the fifth time in the last six games. … Sixers C Daniel Orton and Trail Blazers C Meyers Leonard got tangled up on the floor and both were ejected with 7:19 left. … Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook attended the game.
