PORTLAND -- With Damian Lillard sidelined with a groin injury, one might assume scoring would be the Trail Blazers' primary concern Friday night versus the Pelicans.
But even with Lillard, who currently ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring, sitting out, it was Portland's defense that was the larger issue, as has been the case for most of the 2019-20 season.
The Pelicans shot better than 60 percent from the field and from three in the first half and finished the game shooting 53 percent overall on the way to a 128-115 wire-to-wire win over the Trail Blazers in front of a sellout crowd of 19,946 Friday night at the Moda Center.