Jrue Holiday caught fire from long range, dropping 27 points and burying seven 3-pointers as the Portland Trail Blazers rolled past the New Orleans Pelicans 118-106 at the Moda Center on Thursday night. Deni Avdija added 26, and Toumani Camara chipped in 23 in a balanced scoring night that carried Portland through the fourth quarter. The victory was the Blazers’ third in a row and kept them in a strong spot as the regular season winds down.
Holiday also handed out nine assists, and his deep 3 with 1:21 to play, which stretched the lead to 116-105, effectively shut the door, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Courtside seats were packed with the Blazers’ new ownership group, fresh off the NBA Board of Governors’ approval of the reported $4.25 billion sale earlier in the week; the outlet reports the new owners officially took over on Tuesday.
Supporting Cast And Box Score
Avdija stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Camara’s 23 points helped keep the pressure on New Orleans throughout the night. The Pelicans got a lift from Jeremiah Fears, who came off the bench to score 21, but they struggled to match Portland’s late shooting surge once Holiday and company heated up. Fans looking to dig into the numbers can find the full box score on NBA.com.
Playoff Picture
The win locked in at least a play-in berth for Portland and pulled the Blazers within a half-game of the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference. Sliding into that eighth spot would mean needing just a single win to claim a playoff berth, while staying ninth would require two victories to get in, per CBS Sports.
Owners’ Debut
The NBA board’s approval of the sale was announced Monday, and the group led by Tom Dundon, which also includes Portland-based Sheel Tyle, Marc Zahr and the Cherng Family Trust, is expected to wrap up the transaction this week, ESPN reported. Their courtside debut added another storyline to the night, a visual reminder that the franchise is stepping into a new chapter off the floor as well as on it.
Up Next
Portland heads to Denver on Monday, while the Pelicans visit Sacramento on Saturday, giving both squads quick turnarounds as they hit the final stretch of the season, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. The Blazers will get another early read on their playoff readiness on the road against one of the West’s top teams.
For Rip City, Holiday’s flamethrower of a shooting night doubled as a showcase of veteran composure and a timely reminder that this group can still nudge the Western Conference standings. With the postseason looming, Portland’s closing run of games will determine whether the Blazers crash the party as a dark-horse threat or merely arrive as another play-in plot twist.
