CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wesley Matthews said he had a funny feeling on the way to the arena that his shooting slump might be coming to end.Call it a shooters instinct.Matthews scored a season-high 28 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Charlotte Hornets 105-97 on Wednesday night for their ninth consecutive victory. The fifth-year NBA veteran was 10 of 15 from the field and 6 of 9 from 3-point range as Portland (12-3) improved to 7-0 against Eastern Conference teams.I knew it was just a matter of time before that drought ended and Im back to being myself, Matthews said. Hopefully tonight was a step in that direction.Over the previous five games, Matthews was 25 of 57 from the field and just 8 of 25 from 3-point range.Matthews said he never put pressure on himself during that stretch.It helps when youre winning games, he said.The Trail Blazers have been getting production from up and down the lineup and that continued against Charlotte.Even with LaMarcus Aldridge struggling through a 3-of-18 shooting night, the Trail Blazers prevailed, getting 22 points from Damian Lillard and 15 points and 10 rebounds from Robin Lopez.To be able to have a game like this with (Aldridge) struggling, Wes and Damian in particular really stepped up, coach Terry Stotts said.Brian Roberts had a career-high 24 points for the Hornets, who have lost seven straight and nine of 10. Al Jefferson had 21 points and 14 rebounds for his fifth double-double.Hornets coach Steve Clifford said hes not worried about his teams attitude amid the losing streak, but said we have to find a way to win.The Hornets led 56-45 at the break behind Roberts, who made his first six shots and had 15 points.Portland outscored Charlotte 34-20 in the third quarter and took the lead for good with 4:07 left in the period when Lopez scored on a layup.The Trail Blazers put the game away with 1:10 left when Lopez blocked Kemba Walkers driving layup and Matthews knocked down his sixth 3-pointer to push the lead back to a dozen. The Trail Blazers outscored the Hornets by 21 from beyond the arc.For the second straight game, Charlottes big free-agent acquisition Lance Stephenson sat out the entire fourth quarter.He had eight points.I didnt plan on not playing him but Brian Roberts was our best player tonight, Clifford said. To be fair, one of the things thats made it more difficult for him is that he came here and people proclaimed him as this next superstar. ... Hes not a star. Hes a guy that has talent to become a star. To be a star in this league you have to do it over years.___TIP-INSTrail Blazers: Lillard has converted 445 3-pointers in two-plus seasons, just 101 shy of surpassing Golden States Klay Thompson for the most 3s in the first three years of a career.Hornets: Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (stress reaction) and guard Gary Neal (shoulder strain) did not play.MORE INJURIESInjuries continued to pile up for the Hornets, who had two starters go down during the game. Marvin Williams left in the second quarter with a sprained left shoulder and Walker took an elbow to the head in the third. Walker returned in the fourth quarter; Williams didnt.SITTING COURTSIDECarolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy sat courtside. Hardy is awaiting an appeal on domestic violence charges and remains on the exempt-commissioners permission list. He hasnt played since Week 1. He signed autographs and had his picture taken with fans during the game.UP NEXTTrail Blazers: Host Memphis on Friday night.Hornets: Play host to Golden State on Friday night. Camo Panthers Jerseys . Tokarski, a somewhat controversial choice -- with his 10 games of NHL experience and all -- to replace an injured Carey Price in Game Two had a night to remember, turning back a Rangers team that was dominating play from the get-go, outshooting the Canadiens 14-4 in the first period and 37-25 overall. Youth Panthers Jerseys . Bradley is one of eight players selected to the team who also played in this years World Cup in Brazil. The MLS all-stars will compete against German giants Bayern Munich in Portland on Aug. http://www.officialpanthersnflauthentics...titched-jersey/. The 55th-ranked Istomin saved 11 of 14 break points to win in just over two hours, setting up a second round meeting with Australian Marinko Matosevic. It was the Uzbeks third win in three matches against fifth-seeded Kohlschreiber, the 2007 and 2012 tournament winner. Womens Panthers Jerseys . Napoli hit two home runs, Jonny Gomes and prized rookie Xander Bogaerts also connected, and the Red Sox kept up their dizzying scoring spree at Yankee Stadium by bashing New York 13-9 Saturday for a fifth straight win. Throwback Panthers Jerseys . DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1:00 PM (ET) Detroit - G Rodney Austin, WR Ryan Broyles, DT Nick Fairley, QB Kellen Moore, DT Caraun Reid, CB Mohammed Seisay, DE Larry Webster Chicago - S Chris Conte, DT Brandon Dunn, QB David Fales, K Robbie Gould, CB Terrance Mitchell, OT Michael Ola, DE Trevor Scott GREEN BAY PACKERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Green Bay - LB Carl Bradford, DT Bruce Gaston, C Garth Gerhart, CB Davon House, WR Jeff Janis, TE Justin Perillo, QB Scott Tolzien Tampa Bay - OT Anthony Collins, CB Isaiah Frey, WR Robert Herron, RB Mike James, WR Solomon Patton, FB/TE Evan Rodriguez, LB Lawrence Sidbury KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Kansas City - WR Donnie Avery, CB Marcus Cooper, OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL Eric Kush, QB Aaron Murray, RB Charcandrick West, DT Nick Williams Pittsburgh - WR Justin Brown, DE Clifton Geathers, G Chris Hubbard, QB Landry Jones, S Troy Polamalu, TE Matt Spaeth, CB Ike Taylor MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1:00 PM (ET) Minnesota - LB Anthony Barr, OT Carter Bykowski, DB Ahmad Dixon, OT Charlie Johnson, FB Zach Line, CB Shaun Prater, TE Kyle Rudolph Miami - G Nate Garner, WR Matt Hazel, S Don Jones, WR Rishard Matthews, LB Chris McCain, G Dallas Thomas, RB Daniel Thomas NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW YORK JETS, 1:00 PM (ET) New England - CB Kyle Arrington, RB LeGarrette Blount, OL Dan Connolly, CB Alfonzo Dennard, OT Jordan Devey, WR Julian Edelman, RB James White NY Jets - DT T.DETROIT -- Brad Ausmus called the Tigers series against the Kansas City Royals the biggest of the season so far. Detroit got off to a good start. Torii Hunter had two of his three hits in a six-run third inning and Detroit beat Kansas City 9-5 Monday to move within a game of the American League Central-leading Royals. "I thought there was going to be more energy in our ballclub today (than in recent games), because were looking up at the Royals in the standings and this is our chance," the manager said after the win. The win was the Tigers 9,000th in franchise history. Justin Verlander (13-12) allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings, walking one and striking out four for Detroit, which moved into a tie with Seattle for the second AL wild card. "It was pretty good," Verlander said. "They put up a couple runs in a couple innings, but even after they got those two early runs, I went back and watched the video and those were all good pitches. Theyve just got a good lineup." Nick Castellanos had two hits, two runs and two RBIs for the Tigers. Victor Martinez had three hits and an RBI, and Hunter scored twice and drove in a run. Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie (10-11) allowed eight runs -- six earned -- and 10 hits in 2 2-3 innings. Guthrie has given up 14 earned runs in his last 6 2-3 innings against Detroit. "We were down six and I knew we were going to battle back and make it interesting," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. "We had the tying runs on in the eighth." Lorenzo Cain hit an inside-the-park home run for the Royals in the seventh inning. Eric Hosmer had three hits with an RBI for the Royals. Seven of Detroits first eight batters got his in the third, which began with Hunters infield single. Martinezs infield hit drove in the first run, glancing off the glove of first baseman Hosmer toward the dirt behind second. Don Kellys double made it 4-2, Castellanos hit a two-run double and RBI singles by Alex Avila and Hunter boosted the lead to 8-2. "He was one pitch away from getting out of that third inning but it just kept snowballing and he couldnt make that pitch," Royals manager Ned Yost said. Detrooit tied a season high with eight hits in the inning.dddddddddddd The last time it happened was in the fifth inning July 10 at Kansas City, a 16-4 win. That inning was also started by Guthrie. Detroit took a 2-0 lead in the second on a two-out, two-base error by Hosmer on Andrew Romines grounder with the bases-loaded. Hosmer bobbled the ball and then threw wildly to Guthrie, who was covering first. Romine wound up on second. TRAINERS ROOM Royals: LHP Danny Duffy, who was hurt on his first pitch Saturday, had an MRI on his sore shoulder Monday. It showed no structural damage. Yost said that Duffy should only miss one start. "Hes in Kansas City going through three or four rounds of treatment every day," Yost said. ... Closer Greg Holland, who hasnt taken the teams last two save opportunities because of a triceps injury, is getting closer to returning. Yost said Holland hasnt thrown off the mound yet but did throw on the side on Monday. Yost said he is hopeful that Holland will be available on Tuesday. Tigers: RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) threw 27 pitches in a simulated game and felt good. "Big step today. Hopefully, it feels good tomorrow," Soria said. Ausmus said Soria threw all of his pitches and that Soria looked strong. If Soria feels good on Tuesday, he will likely be activated on Wednesday. UP NEXT Tuesday nights starters are Jason Vargas (11-7, 3.14) for the Royals and Max Scherzer (15-5, 3.25) for the Tigers. Scherzer is 9-5 in his career against Kansas City. SIGNALS CROSSED Hunter, in right field, and Kelly, playing centre, collided in right-centerfield on Cains home run in the seventh. Hunter caught the ball but it came out of his glove and rolled to the wall when he and Kelly collided. Hunter was down for a couple of minutes. But he remained in the game after being checked by a trainer. BUSY DAY The Tigers-Royals wasnt the only big game in downtown Detroit on Monday. The Detroit Lions hosted the New York Giants in the NFL Monday Night Football opener at Ford Field, which is across the street from Comerica Park. The football game began at 7:10 p.m., and thats why the start of the baseball game was moved from its original 7:08 to 4:08. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Braves Jerseys Cheap Orioles Jerseys Cheap Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Cubs Jerseys Cheap White Sox Jerseys Cheap Reds Jerseys Cheap Indians Jerseys Cheap Rockies Jerseys Cheap Tigers Jerseys Cheap Astros Jerseys Cheap Royals Jerseys Cheap Angels Jerseys Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Marlins Jerseys ' ' '