Ross scores 26 points, Raptors beat Trail Blazers

The Toronto Raptors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers102-79 at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night for their fifth straight home win. The Raptors led wire-to-wire, starting the game on a 20-8 run and never looked back, widening the margin by as many as 25 points.

Shooting the ball at 53.9 percent, coupled with great ball movement, keyed the Raptors (12-20) to their eighth win in nine games. Toronto was led by rookie Terrence Ross' career-high 26 points off the bench, on a career-best 6-for-9 shooting from the 3-point line. DeMar DeRozan added 24 points, Ed Davis scored 19 with seven rebounds and Amir Johnson added 17 points off the bench, while Jose Calderon had a game-high 13 assists.

The Raptors dominated the first half 55-39, behind Ross' 13 points where he went 4-for-5 from the 3-point line in the second quarter. They pushed the lead during the third, taking an 11-2 run with less than six minutes left in the quarter, ending it 78-61. Not letting up, they widened the margin to as many as 25 in the fourth en route to their eighth home win of the season.

December's Rookie of the Month, Damian Lillard, led Portland (16-15) with 18 points and seven assists. LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Wesley Matthews added 12 points off the bench.