In all honesty, what did you expect was going to happen on the Damian Lillard tour with the Pelicans in town again minus Jrue Holiday?
Dame started out ridiculously hot, scoring 21 points in the first quarter to propel the Trail Blazers to a 31-23 first quarter lead. Remember, this performance was coming on the heels of a 20-point fourth quarter en route to a 50-spot this past Tuesday.
Lillard finished Thursday’s contest with 36 points, but late-game heroics were not required in the Trail Blazers’ 101-93 victory over the Pelicans.
New Orleans never made Portland sweat much because the offense uncharacteristically could not find its groove.