The Portland Trail Blazers (46-28) did not go quietly into that good night on Tuesday. After being down for much of the ballgame, Damian Lillard showed why he’s one of the best players in the NBA, putting up 20 points to take down the New Orleans Pelicans (43-32) by the score of 107-103.
Key to Loss: Dame
Lillard’s 42 points, 20 of which came in the final 12 minutes, is the big reason why the Pelicans lost on Tuesday night. You can also put some of that on the Trail Blazers capitalizing on second chance points, with 27 on the evening.
Big Number: 6
While Jrue Holiday had a decent evening with 21 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists, there was a big blemish on his stat sheet and that was six turnovers. It showed that without Rajon Rondo helping with ball movement, it’s difficult to put a gap between yourself and the other team.
Play of the Game: Dame Time
🎥 @DAME_LILLARD TIME IN NOLA 🎥 pic.twitter.com/UMFNtW0P84
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 28, 2018
Player of the Game: Anthony Davis
Davis is continuing to have a stellar finish to the season with a 36-point game along with 14 boards. However, it’s another loss for the Pelicans with only two other players (Holiday and Moore) in double figures.
Where They Stand
Even with the loss on Tuesday, the Pelicans moved to fifth in the West after the Wizards beat the San Antonio Spurs 116-106. You’ve also got a little more cushion with the Nuggets losing to the Toronto Raptors. At the time of this writing, the Los Angeles Clippers were down by five with 7:13 left in the fourth and that could continue to make the gap between the eighth seed and out of the playoffs a bit wider.
Next Up: Road Trip to Cleveland Friday; Tip Off at 7 pm
-Clint Domingue