The Portland Trail Blazers collapsed late to drop their final game of a five-game road trip 143-120 to the New Orleans Pelicans. A brutal fourth quarter disadvantage was all it took for the Pelicans to run
away with the game.
Portland was led by the 21 points of Shaedon Sharpe, followed by Sidy Cissoko who had 20, and Deni Avdija who had 16.
New Orleans was led in scoring by Trey Murphy’s 24 points. They also got 23 points from Bryce McGowens and 22 points from Jordan Poole.
Player of Note
The Portland frenchmen Rayan Rupert and Sidy Cissoko share the player of the game honor with a pair of excellent performances. Cissoko set a new career-high with 20 points in the game. He added four rebounds and two assists, shooting 8 for 12 from the field and 3 of 6 from behind the arc.
Rupert had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, doing all of his scoring damage in the first half. Rupert was held scoreless in the second half, but his 6 of 7 shooting in the first half was a major boost for the Blazers.
Stat of the Night
A 27-7 run for New Orleans in the fourth quarter sealed Portland’s fate in the game. After a mostly well-fought game, the Pelicans stepped on the gas and didn’t look back as they cruised to a blowout win.
What We Noticed
The offense was coming early and often for both teams. Multiple 30 point quarters for both Portland and New Orleans led to a 105-97 score after three quarters. The depleted Blazers were missing many of their best defenders, and it showed. The Pelicans lost Herb Jones just before halftime when he was ejected, leaving both teams with ample opportunities to score throughout the game.
However, it was when the well ran dry that New Orleans was finally able to pull away. Portland just simply could not keep up in the final frame as the Pelicans won the fourth quarter 38-23.
Up Next
The Blazers are finally heading home where they will face the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, December 14 at 6 pm Pacific.
