LaMarcus Aldridge Torches Houston for 31 Points and 25 Rebounds (VIDEO)

The Western Conference-leading Portland Trail Blazers (19-4) continue to stockpile wins, taking down the visiting Houston Rockets 111-104 Thursday night. LaMarcus Aldridge detonated for 31 points and 25 boards. Per the Oregonian: “With MVP chants echoing around the Moda Center at random intervals and a national TNT television audience gushing at home, Aldridge delivered another MVP-like performance Thursday night, leading the Trail Blazers to another impressive victory, 111-104, over the Houston Rockets before a sellout crowd of 19,997. The two-time All-Star finished with 31 points, a career-high 25 rebounds, two blocks, two steals and two assists, while making 14 of 22 shots. It was one of the best individual performances in the NBA this season, one of the most dominant outings of Aldridge’s career, and it continued a 23-game run of brilliance for a player who is, quite simply, playing the best basketball of his NBA career. ‘He’s the MVP, man — he’s playing at a crazy-high level right now,’ Wesley Matthews said, before adding. ‘He’s the best power forward in the NBA.’ The monster outing was both historic and clutch. Aldridge became the first player in franchise history and first in the NBA since Kevin Love in 2010 to record a 30-point, 25-rebound game. And he became the first player in the NBA to finish with at least 30 points, 25 rebounds and two blocks since Chris Weber in 2001. And most of the damage — 25 points and 15 rebounds — came in the second half, when the Blazers were fighting tooth and nail to outlast the high-octane Rockets (15-8), who entered the game featuring the NBA’s highest-scoring offense. The victory continued the Blazers’ unlikely feel-good season, improving their record to 19-4, and ensured their best start through 23 games since the 1990-91 season, when they opened 21-2. […] ‘Coach (Terry Stotts) has really given me the freedom to take big shots, make big shots, make plays, really do what I want to do out there,’ Aldridge said. ‘He just trusts me. I think him trusting me and my teammates trusting me and believing in me, that’s been big for me this year.'”