McCollum, Williamson Lift Pelicans Over Struggling Blazers

New Orleans is 15-5 in their last 20 games and peaking at the right time for the playoffs.

New Orleans, LA - The New Orleans Pelicans put a perfect weekend homestand together with a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers 126-107 on Saturday night. New Orleans guaranteed themselves a second straight non-losing season with their 41st victory of the year. Last year, the Pelicans didn't reach 41 wins until April 5, when they went 42-40 on the season. 

Zion Williamson dominated the first half of play, with little to no resistance from the Trail Blazers defense. Williamson was not the only Pelican off to a hot start. Trey Murphy III, who got the start in place of the injured Herb Jones, scored ten points in the opening quarter of a high-scoring affair. New Orleans scored 40 points, but the Blazers poured in 35 off a perfect start from Deandre Ayton, who shot 5/5 from the field and scored 10 points. Both teams shot over 60% from the field in the opening period.

Mar 16, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) dribbles against Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons (1) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The teams continued their hot shooting in the second quarter, with neither team able to slow down the other's offense. Williamson scored a team-high 18 points in the half, starting with 8/8 from the field. Portland's Dalano Banton scored 20 points to lead the Blazers in scoring, as both teams shot over 60% from the half. New Orleans held a 73-68 advantage at the half. 

Both teams cooled off considerably in the third quarter shooting the basketball. Naji Marshall led the way with seven points off the bench for New Orleans, who built a double-digit lead after the half. The Pelicans defense held Portland under 40% shooting and just 24 points in the period. New Orleans pounded the Blazers in the paint, scoring 18 points inside and imposing their will against them. The Pels took a ten-point lead into the fourth quarter and did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.

New Orleans' defense held the Blazers to 15 points in the final quarter and finally pulled away for the back-to-back victory. The Pels forced twice as many turnovers on the Blazers and turned those 20 Blazers turnovers into 31 points. CJ McCollum scored a game-high 30 points in the victory, seemingly breaking out of his slump shooting. Williamson finished with 26 points in the victory. The Pels inch closer to the Los Angeles Clippers with the victory, now only 1.5 games out of the fourth seed. 

The Pelicans now hit the road for four straight games away from home, including a couple of games in Florida against playoff hopefuls. The road trip starts on Tuesday in Brooklyn against the Nets. New Orleans has the second most road wins in the NBA.