Pelicans Lose First Game of Season as Shooting Struggles Against Trail Blazers

The New Orleans Pelicans fall to the Portland Trail Blazer on Sunday after a hot start to begin the game.

Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans picked up thier first loss of the season on Sunday after falling 125-103 to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Pelicans struggled from the field, especially from behind the line as they trailed throughout the majority of the game. The ‘small ball’ lineup was no match for the Blazer on the boards as well.

In his second game of the season Zion Williamson continues to be knocking some rust off his game to begin the year. Portland did a great job packing the paint and forcing pressure on the Pelicans star, ultimately slowing him down. He finished the day with 14 points, but most of them came from the free throw line. He was only 3 for 12 from the field.

Former Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum had a great trip back to the Moda Center this weekend. He had 20 points in the first game Friday and continued the strong performance on Sunday. He opened with nine points in the first quarter and 15 at the half. 

He continued to shine throughout the game and was the Pelicans best player on the court Sunday as he finished the day with 27 points. McCollum played 36 minutes in the contest more than any other New Orleans player. 

Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram had near triple-double numbers on the day as he contributed with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Jordan Hawkins had a breakout game on Friday in the first game in Portland was also a huge asset of the bench in the road series finale in Portland. There were a few times during the first half when he made some questionable decisions about getting the ball to his teammates on inbound passes, resulting in turnovers. Ultimately, he played 34 minutes off the bench and finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. 

Unlike Friday’s road opener against the Blazers, the Pelicans started strong in Sunday's contest. The team started the game with an 8-0 run and picked up a block and a steal in the contest's few minutes.

However, the pace didn’t last long. Portland got out to a seven-point lead at one point before the first quarter came to an end. Trail Blazers center DeAndre Ayton started the game strong with nine points and six rebounds in the first frame. Very close to already completing a double-double.

The Pelicans struggled from beyond the arc in the first half, going only 1 for 13 from three. Those issues, plus falling behind in the rebound game, pushed the team down by 12 heading into the locker room. 

The scoring once again stepped up in the third quarter to begin the second half, just as it did in the first game of the series. However, so did Portland. They were outscored for the third straight quarter as they trailed by 16 heading into the final 12 minutes.

New Orleans’ small ball lineup couldn’t do enough in the final quarter to erase the earlier deficit. The Pelicans managed to only make eight three point shots on 29 attempts, their worst from behind the line this season.   

New Orleans will continue their West Coast trip as they travel south to San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors. The team will play two straight games at the Chase Center with the first one occurring on Tuesday. Tipoff for the opening game against the Warriors is scheduled for 10 pm ET.