Trail Blazers fight hard on the road, fall to Pelicans, 119-113

With Damian Lillard in and out of the lineup with quad and calf injuries, the Portland Trail Blazers were happy to welcome him back.

And with both the Blazers and the New Orleans Pelicans jostling for playoff position, Portland sure needed his help.

First Quarter

The first quarter started well, with the Blazers jumping out to a 19-11 lead on 10 points and 5/5 shooting from Jusuf Nurkic, as seen below:

As quickly as it came, that lead was erased in just a few minutes.

As the Blazers looked to their bench, they found that cupboard somewhat bare. The first quarter ended with the Blazers down 31-25.

Second Quarter

The second quarter didn’t start much better. After another 11-2 run by the Pelicans, Portland trailed 42-29.

A few tough plays by Pat Connaughton, including a steal for the dunk and a nasty offensive board, kept the Blazers’ head above water.

Another encouraging play: Al-Farouq Aminu nabbed the rebound, then started the break, dribbling in traffic and taking contact for the finish.

A Dame three forced a Pelicans timeout, the Blazers having stopped the bleeding. They hit on eight of the previous nine possessions with three minutes left in the second, the game at 52-47.

But Portland didn’t stop there. Threes from CJ McCollum and Aminu paired nicely with a dunk from Lillard to pull even at halftime at 61 apiece.

Third Quarter

The good times kept rolling in the third with the Blazers quickly jumping out to a six-point lead. It  whittled to two, then blasted out to an eight-point lead to force another Pelicans timeout.

Al-Farouq Aminu continued showing off handles that a year ago even the most fervent Chief supporters would have thought impossible.

But the Pelicans weren’t going away. On the massive shoulders of DeMarcus Cousins and New Orleans’ role players, they surged ahead 88-86 after three.

Fourth Quarter

The Pelicans got the first bite at the apple and jumped ahead by six… but then then Blazers got within one! Back and forth it went, the Blazers having trouble containing both Anthony Davis and Boogie at the same time.

Things started getting chippy between Nurkic and Cousins, and even through your TV you could see both players getting frustrated with each other. Being able to frustrate Cousins is a useful skill, as he’s known for losing his cool… then again, so is Nurkic at times. At the very least, it made for entertaining ball.

The Pelicans were able to go up first six, then eight off some deliberate and paced offense.

The Blazers never felt out of it down the stretch until very late, but it also never felt like they were close enough to steal it away. Portland took the loss, 119-113.

Three Takeaways

Nurkic is brilliant when he wants to be.

His 5/5 shooting in basically a half quarter’s-worth of play was no fluke. He likes playing up to the better centers in the league, and it just makes you want to see more of it. Nurkic finished the first half 6/7 with 13 points, four boards, and a block. He ended with 19 and five plus three blocks.

The Blazers SURE DO love falling into a hole and crawling out of it, don’t they?

Seriously, how many times have the Blazers given up huge runs only to erase them? Remember the 17-point 4th quarter comeback against the Washington Wizards in November, or the more modest nine-point comeback against the Miami Heat earlier this month?

Tonight they were down by as many as 16 points in the second quarter, but pulled even before the half. Whether it’s the three-guard lineup with Dame, CJ, and Shabazz Napier (more of this, please) a can’t-quit-won’t-quit mentality, or a bit of both, the Blazers are on my shortlist of teams I wouldn’t feel safe against even with a big lead in the fourth quarter.

Next: Three trades the Portland Trail Blazers could make at the deadline

The Blazers’ rotation seems to have settled.

After players being pulled in and out of the lineup all year, it looks like Stotts has his guys, at least for now. Connaughton, Zach Collins, and Napier have all earned consistent minutes, while Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh have been more or less forgotten in the shuffle.

Obviously, the rotations in the playoffs will tighten up (if the Blazers make it that far, but in the meantime I’m sure the players appreciate having some rotation certainty.

Next Game

The Blazers face the streaking Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, Jan. 14 in Minnesota at 6 p.m. PT.