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The Portland Trail Blazers host the New Orleans Pelicans at the Moda Center on Thursday to continue their two-game set in the 2020-21 NBA.
Their first matchup was a thriller, where the Portland Trail Blazers overcame a double-digit deficit to win in the final few seconds of the game. The two teams played extremely well, but a few missed free-throws and turnovers in the final minutes cost the New Orleans Pelicans a victory on the night.
Match Details
Fixture: New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers | NBA Season 2020-21.
Date & Time: Thursday, March 18th; 10:00 PM ET (Friday, March 19th; 7:30 AM IST).
Venue: Moda Center, Portland, OR.
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Portland Trail Blazers are having a pretty good season, despite their injury issues.
CJ McCollum returned to the court after nearly two months on Tuesday and looked great in the 26 minutes he played. However, Jusuf Nurkic continues to be sidelined, which has left the Portland Trail Blazers vulnerable at the 5 position.
Enes Kanter has been doing a decent job filling in for Nurkic. But he is often a defensive liability on the floor, and guards often look to exploit his lack of awareness and lateral mobility.
Meanwhile, Gary Trent Jr. and Robert Covington have done a great job this season. They have filled in their roles as "3-and-D" perfectly and are looking like key pieces for the roster.
Veteran Carmelo Anthony has had nights where he has shown glimpses of his ;Denver self', wherein he'd go for 20+ points while putting on a display in scoring. He has been a great backup player off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Key Player - Damian Lillard
Words may not be enough to describe Damian Lillard's performances this season. He has dropped a whopping 30 points a night while carrying this team to a decent playoff spot.
Damian Lillard has had a highlight reel filled with buzzer-beaters and game-winners, with his clutchness being off the charts. He is often metaphorically called the 'engine' in the 'Portland Trail Blazers-vehicle', as he makes the team run and has done a great job in McCollum, Nurkic and Collins' absence.
Damian Lillard dropped 50 points on 20 shots in the Portland Trail Blazers' last outing against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Damian Lillard, G - CJ McCollum, F - Derrick Jones Jr, F - Robert Covington, C - Enes Kanter.
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans seem to be eyeing the play-in tournament. They haven't been consistent enough to enter the playoff seeds, but the knockout play-in round could save their season.
Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram have combined for nearly 50 points per game, and the sophomore Williamson has blossomed into a star this campaign.
Lonzo Ball's distance shooting has improved drastically this season. He also continues to impress in the New Orleans Pelicans point guard position, dishing out fancy assists to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
Key Player - Zion Williamson
It is safe to say that young phenom Zion Williamson has lived up to the hype surrounding him. The 20-year-old is leading the league in FG% and is the only player to average 62 FG% while also dropping a remarkable 25.6 points per game.
Coach Van Gundy has tried a new strategy where Williamson brings the ball up the court, since the latter played point guard growing up, and needless to say, Williamson hasn't disappointed at all.
New Orleans Pelicans Predicted Lineup
G - Lonzo Ball, G - Eric Bledsoe, F - Brandon Ingram, F - Zion Williamson, C - Steven Adams.
Pelicans vs Trail Blazers Match Prediction
Another thriller in Portland could be on the cards when these two resilient teams meet on Thursday.
Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans will want revenge after what seemed like a victory that was taken away in the final few seconds by the Portland Trail Blazers. TNT analyst Dwyane Wade has said that the young team would learn from that loss and could come up with a more combined vigorous effort.
However, the Portland Trail Blazers have CJ McCollum back in their lineup, and they are entering the matchup, having won five of their last seven games. They feature an extremely clutch player in Lillard, and given their victory in the first game of their mini-series, there could be more late-game heroics by Damian "Dame Time" Lillard.
Where to watch the Pelicans vs Trail Blazers game?
The New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trail Blazers game will have local coverage on the NBC Sports Northwest and FOX Sports New Orleans. The match can also be streamed live with an NBA League Pass.
Also, Read: 3 needs New Orleans Pelicans must address ahead of NBA trade deadline.
