Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 40 points on 18-of-29 shooting to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 121-110 victory over the host Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.
CJ McCollum recorded 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists against his former mates to help New Orleans snap a four-game losing streak. Jaxson Hayes added 15 points for the Pelicans, who outscored Portland 31-19 in the fourth quarter to move into a tie for ninth place with the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference.
Damian Lillard finished with 41 points and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who lost for the seventh time in 10 games and fell into 12th place in the West. Jerami Grant scored 28 points, Cam Reddish had 13 off the bench and Matisse Thybulle added 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
Lillard and McCollum played against one another for the first time since the latter was traded from the Trail Blazers to the Pelicans just over a year ago. The two comprised Portland’s starting backcourt for 6 1/2 seasons.
New Orleans played without Zion Williamson (hamstring) for the 26th straight game. The Pelicans are 8-18 during his absence.
Portland’s Anfernee Simons returned from a three-game absence caused by a right ankle ailment but exited with 1:48 left in the third quarter when he reinjured the same ankle. He had four points on 2-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes.
The Trail Blazers shot 44.4 percent from the field, including 11 of 38 (28.9 percent) from 3-point range.
The Pelicans made 51.7 percent of their shots and were 9 of 25 (36 percent) from behind the arc. New Orleans didn’t commit a turnover in the second half and had six overall.
New Orleans seized control with a 16-4 run in the fourth quarter. Naji Marshall capped the burst with a fastbreak layup to give the Pelicans a 110-99 lead with 5:13 left.
New Orleans increased the lead to 117-103 when Trey Murphy III buried a 3-pointer with 2:19 left. Ingram reached 40 points on a floater with 1:28 left, and the Pelicans closed it out to win on the road for just the second time in the last 11 attempts.
Lillard had 18 points in the first half as Portland led 56-53 at the break. Ingram had 20 for New Orleans.
The Trail Blazers took a 91-90 lead into the final stanza after Trendon Watford drove for a layup with 1.1 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
–Field Level Media
