WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND
No. 3 Portland (49-33) vs. No. 6 New Orleans (48-34)
It’s the Crescent City against “Rip City.”
It’s the French Quarter vs. the Rose Quarter.
It’s the Gulf South facing the Pacific Northwest.
It’s the team that compiled its best finish in the Southwest Division in a decade, squaring off with a squad that earned a Northwest Division title for the first time since 2014-15.
It’s the only 2018 first-round NBA playoff series featuring a pair of top-five scorers.
The Western Conference best-of-seven quarterfinal matchup between the seemingly evenly-matched New Orleans Pelicans and Portland Trail Blazers should hold considerable intrigue for basketball fans, starting with those eager to see two headliners: Pelicans five-time All-Star big Anthony Davis, in his second career trip to the postseason; and Trail Blazers three-time All-Star guard Damian Lillard, one of the league’s most consistently clutch performers.