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The Portland Trail Blazers torched the New Orleans Pelicans from downtown all night to eke out a close 126-124 win on the road. Damian Lillard scored the go-ahead basket, like he so usually does, breaking the hearts of the few fans at the Smoothie King Center in the process.
Zion Williamson played a huge role in ensuring that the New Orleans Pelicans stay in the game late with another efficient outing. He scored 36 points to tie his career-high, but it wasn't enough. Lillard himself had a historic night too, as he achieved a career-high in assists with 16 dimes on the night.
New Orleans Pelicans toil hard to erase Portland Trail Blazers' early lead but lose out eventually
Dame Dolla started hot from the get-go again to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to an 11-point lead in the first quarter. He scored a quickfire 15 points as the New Orleans Pelicans were still finding their feet in the game.
Williamson soon started finding lanes to the rim and it only took Pels another quarter to overturn a huge deficit into a 15-point lead. Gary Trent Jr. then stepped up to the occasion to pull things back for the Blazers. It eventually turned into a back-and-forth contest later and Lillard ensured that his side pulled through.
Zion Williamson and Lonzo Ball try their best but New Orleans Pelicans lose again
Lonzo Ball did a great job of creating looks for both himself and his teammates tonight. He scored 21 points which included five made threes. Ball also had five dimes to his name and his linkup with JJ Redick allowed the New Orleans Pelicans to keep the scoreboard ticking in the clutch.
Zion Williamson has had a monstrous run of late and he continued that with 36 points on 12-of-18 shooting. He left Twitter impressed with his aggression against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Damian Lillard comes up clutch again to lead the Portland Trail Blazers home
Damian Lillard was electric in every possible sense tonight. He found the open man almost always whenever the New Orleans Pelicans defenders double-teamed him and spit fire from downtown when he had the chance. Lillard finished with 43 points which included seven makes from beyond the arc.
Gary Trent Jr. supported Lillard well with 23 points of his own. He's turned into a reliable scoring option for the Portland Trail Blazers in the last few months.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors - Portland Trail Blazers' Anfernee Simons on the radar of rival teams
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