Lillard, Portland set for matchup with New Orleans

Wed, Feb 17, 2021
By The Associated Press

Portland Trail Blazers (17-10, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (12-15, 11th in the Western Conference)

New Orleans; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST

LINE: Pelicans -3; over/under is 231.5

BOTTOM LINE: Damian Lillard leads Portland into a matchup against New Orleans. He currently ranks fourth in the NBA scoring 29.3 points per game.

The Pelicans are 7-10 in Western Conference games. New Orleans ranks sixth in the league with 46.1 rebounds led by Steven Adams averaging 9.1.

The Trail Blazers have gone 8-6 against Western Conference opponents. Portland is last in the NBA scoring 37.3 points per game in the paint.

The teams match up Wednesday for the first time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Zion Williamson is averaging 24.6 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Pelicans. Brandon Ingram is averaging 23.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists over the last 10 games for New Orleans.

Lillard ranks second on the Trail Blazers averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers while scoring 29.3 points per game and shooting 38% from beyond the arc. Gary Trent Jr. is averaging 3.8 made 3-pointers and scoring 19.1 points over the last 10 games for Portland.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 120.8 points, 44.9 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 7.9 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.6 points on 49.2% shooting.

Trail Blazers: 8-2, averaging 117 points, 45.4 rebounds, 18 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 45.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points on 48.7% shooting.

INJURIES: Pelicans: Josh Hart: day to day (back).

Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic: out (wrist), Rodney Hood: out (foot), Harry Giles III: out (calf), Zach Collins: out (ankle), CJ McCollum: out (left foot).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.