Trail Blazers 99, Pelicans 90
LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and 12 rebounds as host Portland defeated New Orleans for the 11th time in the last 14 meetings.
Damian Lillard scored 19 points and Chris Kaman added 16 points and 11 rebounds as the Trail Blazers moved within 1 1/2 games of Memphis for third place in the Western Conference. Robin Lopez collected 12 rebounds and C.J. McCollum scored 10 points.
Eric Gordon scored 22 points and Tyreke Evans had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the Pelicans missed a chance to move into a tie with Oklahoma City for eighth place in the West. Anthony Davis added 19 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots as New Orleans had a four-game winning streak halted.
Davis’ basket forged a tie at 85 with 4:22 remaining before Portland scored 10 straight points, capped by Aldridge’s dunk with 2:17 remaining. Ryan Anderson connected on a 3-pointer to bring the Pelicans within seven but Kaman and Lillard made consecutive baskets as the Trail Blazers improved to 31-8 at home.
New Orleans held an early 14-4 lead before Portland rebounded to hold a 13-point lead in the second quarter en route to a 56-44 advantage at the break. The Trail Blazers led by 16 points early in the third quarter before the Pelicans got back into the game with a 15-3 surge and trailed 75-72 entering the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Trail Blazers were 21-of-23 from the free-throw line, while New Orleans was 5-of-10. … The Pelicans had a 13-2 edge in fast-break points. … Portland tied a season best with 18 offensive rebounds and held a 51-35 edge on the boards.