MINNEAPOLIS — Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan has tinkered all season to try and find the right combination of players to overcome injuries and adversity. Nicolas Batum has thrown himself into that mix.

Batum scored a career-high 31 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 21 and the Trail Blazers cruised to another easy victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-91 on Saturday night.

“If he shoots the ball like that he’s going to be tough to keep off the floor,” McMillan said. “His shot has certainly improved this year and he’s taking it with confidence. He’s going to get that opportunity with teams double-teaming and leaving him open.”

The Blazers have won 12 straight over the Wolves, including four victories this season by a combined 93 points.

Batum hit a career-high five three-pointers and added a season-high seven assists and seven rebounds in his best game since returning from a torn labrum on Jan. 25. Batum had never scored more than 20 points in his career.

The French-born forward who wears No. 88 couldn’t stop grinning as reporters asked him to put his career night into words after the game.

“In that third quarter. Every time I got the ball I just shot and it went in. It felt real good,” Batum said.

Al Jefferson led Minnesota with 19 points, his highest total since scoring 18 six games ago against Washington.

Portland closed the first half on a 16-4 run to grab a 47-33 lead. The Blazers led by 30 in the third quarter.

Portland is allowing the fewest points of any team in the Western Conference and flexed its defensive muscle in the second quarter by holding the Wolves to 10 points in the quarter and 33 in the half, both season lows.

Rudy Fernandez added 18 points the Blazers.

“Al got us off to a great start. Defensive-wise, we were adhering to our game plan, doing things we wanted to do,” Wolves coach Kurt Rambis said. “But the last five minutes of the second quarter, they just got on this little roll and we couldn’t find ways to stop them. Then they came out in the third quarter and just punched the game away for us.”

With Batum on fire, the Blazers didn’t even need much from leading scorer Brandon Roy. Roy was held to seven points after scoring 20-plus in his last four games.

Also on Saturday:

Grizzlies 120

Knicks 109

NEW YORK — Zach Randolph had 31 points and a career-high 25 rebounds against his former team, and Memphis beat New York to tie a franchise record with its fourth straight road victory.

Nets 104

Celtics 96

BOSTON — Brook Lopez scored 25 points, Devin Harris had 23 and Courtney Lee 21 to help New Jersey beat Boston.

Pacers 100

Bulls 90

INDIANAPOLIS — Danny Granger had 30 points and eight rebounds, and Dahntay Jones and Troy Murphy each had 17 points for Indiana.

Bucks 94

Heat 71

MIAMI — John Salmons scored 18 points and the Bucks took advantage of Dwyane Wade’s injury absence to win their sixth game in a row.

Jazz 133

Rockets 110

SALT LAKE CITY — Deron Williams scored 20 of his 35 points in the first quarter and Utah routed Houston.

Warriors 95

Pistons 88

OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored 27 points and Golden State rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half to beat Detroit. Anthony Tolliver added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and C.J. Watson scored 17 points as the Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak against the Pistons.