New Orleans – – Jerami Grant Dribbled between legs and got knifepoint between New Orleans forwards Zion Williamson When Brandon Ingram With defender Herb Jones Trey Murphy III I was lucky enough to meet him.
That strong fourth quarter flush highlighted Grant’s 27-point performance. portland trailblazers Overcome Starguard Absence Damien Lillard beat the Pelicans 106-95 on Thursday night.
Anne Frenie Simmons, who scored 23 with five 3-pointers for Portland, left fans gasping for Grant’s explosive dunk, calling it a “coffin nail.”
Grant, who hit four 3-pointers and several midrange shots, said he knew he had to “press up a little bit” when the Pelicans defense dribbled near the top of the key.
“I gave them a little wrong direction, so the lane opened up,” Grant said.
original pelican Josh Hart He added 17 points to the Blazers and improved to 6-1 away.
“We’re winning. That’s all that matters to me,” said Hart, who was a fan favorite in New Orleans. We’ve made it clear, and we’re doing it.
The Blazers, who won last night in Charlotte, rested Lillard, who has missed the last four games with a strained right calf.
However, Portland ultimately didn’t need to make the most of the former Blazers guard as he improved to 4-1 in a six-game trip. CJ McCallum.
“They just played harder, we didn’t play smarter,” Pelicans manager Willie Green said. “We have to run our stuff and take care of the basketball. I thought their zone would disrupt our flow and rhythm.
Williamson scored 29 points and Murphy added 16 points to New Orleans. Ingram scored 14 but fouled out with 3:32 remaining.
“We weren’t trapped mentally,” Williamson said.
McCallum, who played despite feeling unwell, finished with 13 points but missed 11 of 17 shots and 1 of 7 from a 3-point range.
New Orleans, typically one of the NBA’s highest-scoring teams in the paint, shot just 41.8 percent (33 of 79), beating the inside score 46-36.
“Everything shouldn’t be easy,” McCallum said. “We are to go through some trials and tribulations. It’s about how you answer. .
The Blazers looked a step faster as they rebounded from 11 mistakes and scored 18 second-chance points.
Portland also converted 17 Pelican turnovers into 21 points and committed only nine turnovers.
“The will to win,” said Grant. “We want that more than a lot of teams right now. So we’re coming out and giving it our all.”
Portland took an opening double-digit lead that included a 3-bye on an 11-2 4th quarter run. Justice Winslow 15 foot jumper by Grant. Nasir Little Added a dunk and layup as he received a foul after Portland’s aggressive rebound.
15 for Little and 12 for Winslow.
tip in
Trailblazers: Yusuf Nurkic Despite wearing the uniform, he remained on the bench and missed two games in a row due to a sore right adductor muscle. shadon sharpCharlotte, who scored 17 points in the reserve role, was held out with a sprained right finger.
Pelican: Larry Nance Jr.. Returned from left knee hyperextension. He played his 23 minutes and had six rebounds but fell short of scoring. …Williamson only played 12 minutes in the first half and scored 12 points, but he also committed three fouls. … Jones scored his 10.
unfortunate lillard
Portland coach Chauncey Billups said it was understandable Lillard wasn’t happy to be out of the lineup, but stressed players, coaches and team doctors all “have to trust each other”. But the club’s medical team “knows more about this,” he added. I do more than Dame does.
Lillard told Billups that he was “feeling great”, but Blazers medical staff decided it would be unwise for Lillard, who scored 26 points against the Hornets, to play his third game in four nights. Lillard wanted to meet McCallum for the first time, who was his teammate at Portland for eight years before being traded to New Orleans last February.
“This is just a medical decision. Recovery from soft tissue injuries is always difficult,” Billups said. “He’s a little down about it, but that’s it. We have to keep his men safe.”
next
Trail Blazers: Saturday in Dallas.
Pelicans: Host Houston on Saturday.
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