A solid defensive effort
All season long, the Pelicans have been undone by their lackluster defense. Even when they have good energy on that end, they still struggle to be in the places they should be in order to frustrate their opponents.
Tonight, though, they were able to hold Portland to a ‘mere’ 104 points, which while still a lot is far below their season average of 120 points given up. The Pelicans were, of course, greatly aided by the absence of Damian Lillard, but they still had ten steals and five blocks tonight, which greatly stymied the Blazers’ offensive plans.