CJ McCollum returned tonight for the Portland Trail Blazers against the New Orleans Pelicans, and Blazers fans burst into suspense of ‘Ode to Joy’ at the sight of their star guard in uniform. As it turns out, “Easy to be Hard” by Three Dog Night would have been a more appropriate national anthem. The Blazers defended all night long against Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. Everything they try looks like a calculator blindfolded in a windstorm. No amount of three-point shooting could overcome the trouble. The Pelicans recorded a rate of 30 per quarter and played ‘D’ well enough to prevent the Blazers from doing the same. Halfway through the fourth, Damian Lillard incited a big, 16-0 run to give his team life. Since New Orleans was 17 at the time, returning to everything seemed impossible. But impossible and Damian Lillard does not belong together in the same sense. 50 points from the superstar gave the Blazers an incredible 125-124 victory after the defeat was almost guaranteed.
McCollum scored 10 in his return. Williamson had 28 and Ingram added 30. The Blazers scored 43 points in the final, decisive frame.
First term
CJ McCollum wasted no time in announcing his presence and hoisted four three-point attempts in the first quarter. He hit two, and the Blazers were doing business. They work on the high screen and roll to exhaustion and try to take advantage of the relative lack of mobility in the courtyard of New Orleans. It worked too. The problem was that Brandon Ingram on the other hand became core, sinking everything from three to imposition. Portland’s defense, especially inside, could not cope with the offense. The ball movement from the Pelicans showed that they understood Portland’s weakness and were ready to take advantage of it. Every field goal that the Fur hit in the first quarter was helped. A dunk from Zion Williamson led them halfway 23-15, but Lillard returned a complaint by the end of the period. He drained tries and got names, and he forgot his notebook to adopt names. Gary Trent, Jr., added one of his own choirs. As it has done so many times, the triple brought Portland back. Ingram had 13 in the period, Williamson 10, but the Blazers hit 6 tries to stay within screaming distance. New Orleans led 34-28 after one.
Second term
The Pelicans beat the Blazers in the paint to start the second quarter. Williamson had no pity; his teammates follow suit. The lead reached 43-32 before Terry Stotts called a “Wait a Minute” timeout. Portland turned off the constant flow of dunks for New Orleans, but their own offense went silent at the same time. They could not eat in the lead. When the Pelicans hit a few jumpers, the margin dropped to 51-35 and Stotts called another timeout, this time with probably non-printable intentions. Lillard helped his team put together a few pickups, but by this time it felt like the Blazers needed to give as many points behind the turnover as they had achieved themselves. Portland played man-to-man; the Pelicans went through for layups. Portland switches to zone; the Pelicans hit tries. Whatever it was, it just did not work. New Orleans led 64-50.
Third term
If the Blazers had planned to turn the game around at the start of the second half. their defense did not show it. New Orleans re-entered. Portland tilted with tries. In a reversal of luck, however, the Pelicans began to spin the ball. These were the only possessions in which they did not get points, but the large number of TOs began to pick up. Portland had the margin back to single digits and the return was underway. But you can not make a comeback without defense and the Blazers have never played anything, at least not for long periods. Derrick Jones Jr. occasionally scored three – an unexpected boost – but New Orleans easily matched its production. The Pelicans maintained a 9-12 lead. The more Portland bustled, the more their defenses became unbalanced and the easier New Orleans could get around them. The Pels point guard, Lonzo Ball, had a career high of 16 by the end of the third quarter. New Orleans led 95-82 and entered fourth place.
Fourth term
The Blazers needed the rally flag at the start of the fourth. It actually looked a lot like a surrender flag. They scored even more tries, but allowed just as many. And they still could not oppose the Pelicans game. The situation just did not get better before the point at 06:00 when Portland made a 16-0 run to close within 1, 117-116. Lillard was the core of it with two tries, a layup and an assistant to Trent, Jr. for three more. Eric Bledsoe joins them again with a revenge try and the match is on, 2:00 left. Carmelo Anthony and Zion exchanged buckets, then Lillard drove for a conventional three-point game. Then Williamson signed on again. Lillard misses a try and leaves Portland 124-121 behind.
With less than 24 seconds left, the Blazers deliberately erred. Incredibly, Ingram missed two free throws with 7 seconds left. The Blazers had a chance to finish level with the final possession. Instead, the Pelicans polluted Lillard before he could shoot. Lady sank both, and now New Orleans led by 1 with 5 seconds left.
While the parade of the improbable continued. the Pelicans muted the incoming pass. The ball fell out of bounds, giving Portland the chance to win with any shot.
While Lillard remained for a long time with 1.2 seconds left, Bledsoe pushed him on the arm. Lillard calmly sank both of the free throws. New Orleans got a long pass to Williamson, but he missed the defensive turn at the buzzer. After a bad game for 42 minutes, the Blazers won in the most astonishing way.
Stay tuned for our comprehensive summary with analysis by Marlow Ferguson, Jr.!
Goal scorer
Portland will face the Pelicans again in the Pacific on Thursday night at 7 p.m.