On a night headlined by the first-ever matchup between Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, the New Orleans Pelicans’ size advantage, superior depth and defensive adjustments would ultimately become the dominant story of the night. Shaking off a halftime deficit and a few spirited Blazers runs, the Pelicans flew away in the end with a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in 121-110 fashion.
The stars came to play in this primetime duel, with Lillard guiding Portland with a 41-point, eight-rebound outing — and somehow, his first zero assist game since Nov. 30, 2015 — with Jerami Grant providing reinforcements with a 28-point game.