The New Orleans Pelicans lost by 4 points for the second straight game, and for the second time this season, at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers, a team with an 11-15 record. With each failure, the Pelicans find a new way to lose, but it's usually been for the same reason in the closer contested battles: a lack of execution.
Through 24 games of the season, a legitimate top tiered team in the league will not display ineptitude so consistently and at the most inopportune times on both sides of the floor.