Trail Blazers at Pelicans
Portland shooting guard CJ McCollum looks to continue his torrid play when the Portland Trail Blazers visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. McCollum scored 25 or more points in each of the past four games, including a 35-point outing in Tuesday's 125-104 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
McCollum missed his first seven shots against the Clippers and later exploded for 23 fourth-quarter points as Portland opened a three-game road trip on an exemplary note. "I don't ever get gun-shy," McCollum told reporters. "I've missed a lot of shots in my career and percentage-wise you're going to miss more than you make, especially from (3-point range). You just have to stay confident, stay aggressive and know who you are. I'm very comfortable with who I am as a basketball player and a person, so I just go out there and try to be my best self." The Pelicans have collapsed since the Anthony Davis trade drama and lost four straight games - all by double digits - and 17 of their past 26 contests. New Orleans allowed 74 second-half points and was just 10-of-47 from 3-point range while being drubbed 130-113 by the visiting Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS Northwest (Portland), FS New Orleans
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (41-26): All-Star point guard Damian Lillard had 20 points and matched his season best of 12 assists against the Clippers and his career point total sits at 12,560, just two shy of second-place LaMarcus Aldridge on the franchise list. "I didn't come into the game saying 'I need to pass (Aldridge) tonight,'" Lillard said afterward. "It's a lot of games for me to do that. I was scoring some points, I was making shots but they started to give me a lot of attention with traps and all that stuff, so I was just trying to make the next play and make them pay for giving me all that attention." McCollum was the beneficiary and was 6-of-11 from 3-point range during his latest standout performance.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (30-40): Point guard Elfrid Payton had 14 points, a career-best 15 rebounds and 11 assists against Milwaukee to become the first New Orleans player since Chris Paul in 2008 to record back-to-back triple-doubles. "I definitely feel much healthier than I've been throughout the season," Payton said of the stellar stretch. "I'm kind of getting a head of steam. I've just got to try to figure out a way to turn it into wins." Davis remains on a minutes' restriction and had 21 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes against the Bucks.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Trail Blazers averaged 130 points while winning the season's first two meetings.
2. New Orleans PF Julius Randle scored 23 points against the Bucks to exceed 20 points for the seventh time in the past eight games.
3. Portland SG Rodney Hood (hip) is in jeopardy of missing his second straight game.