Trail Blazers 114, Pelicans 88
Trail Blazers 114, Pelicans 88: LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 12 rebounds and an exhausted Portland club came out firing to embarrass host New Orleans.
Damian Lillard had 17 points and seven assists for the Trail Blazers, who shot 53.3 percent to pick up a fifth straight win despite playing a triple-overtime thriller in San Antonio on Friday night. Aldridge shot 12-of-20 from the field, added three steals and completely dominated Anthony Davis in their individual matchup.
Austin Rivers scored 21 points and Ryan Anderson 16 for the Pelicans, who in an attempt to show they were contenders and not pretenders in the Western Conference playoff race didn't match the Blazers' energy from the opening tap. Davis scored seven points on 3-of-14 shooting and added six rebounds as New Orleans played the second in a critical string of eight of 10 against teams with winning records.
The Pelicans looked more like the team coming off an overtime contest, shooting 7-of-24 in the first quarter with five turnovers while Aldridge scored 13 as the Blazers led 32-17 after 12 minutes. Wesley Matthews drained two 3-pointers less than 60 seconds apart as the lead grew to 21 three minutes into the second and Aldridge finished the first-half massacre with a step-back jumper for a 62-44 lead.
After scoring a career-high 43 points against the Spurs on Friday but just six in the first half in this one, Lillard hit a trio of 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the third that established a 29-point bulge. Portland led 94-62 entering the fourth and the reserves closed out the contest with New Orleans getting no closer than 24 points.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Despite playing less than 24 hours after beating San Antonio, Portland canned six of its first eight shots - four by Aldridge - to take a 14-4 lead. … Aldridge posted his fifth straight double-double, ninth in December and 16th overall. … The Pelicans shot 35.3 percent and no starter scored in double figures.