Pelicans (9-19), Trail Blazers (11-20)
The impact of injuries has been a predominant theme of New Orleans’ season over the first two months, but on Wednesday the Pelicans finally caught a break in the health department, with Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard missing a game for only the second time in his NBA career. New Orleans fully capitalized on the All-Star guard’s absence, going up 53-36 at halftime and building an insurmountable advantage on the scoreboard. With Lillard sidelined, Portland likely needed a big night from guard C.J. McCollum, but New Orleans held McCollum to 8/21 shooting from the field.