Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) is fouled by New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) as he drives to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Deni Avdija scored 26 points to lead a balanced scoring effort and the hot-shooting Portland Trail Blazers routed the host New Orleans Pelicans 119-100 in the NBA on Wednesday night.
Avdija made 10-of-15 field-goal attempts, including 4-of-7 on 3-pointers, and the Blazers shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.
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Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points, Anfernee Simons scored 17, Toumani Camara had 15, Scoot Henderson scored 13 and Deandre Ayton had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
CJ McCollum scored 23 points, Dejounte Murray added 20 and Jordan Hawkins chipped in 10 for the Pelicans, who played without forward Zion Williamson due to night off as he regains his conditioning. Williamson returned from a 27-game absence due to a strained hamstring to score 22 points in a loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.
The Trail Blazers, who have the third-worst record in the Western Conference, won the season series against the conference-worst Pelicans 3-1. The three wins against New Orleans, which included home victories of 125-103 on Oct. 27 and 118-100 on Nov. 4, came by the largest margins of Portland’s four double-digits wins this season.
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Sharpe had a three-point play and made a 3-pointer and Avdija also made 3-pointers as the Trail Blazers took a 21-9 lead. Murray made consecutive baskets and the Pelicans got within 10 points twice.
Portland’s biggest lead was 18 before Jose Alvarado made a basket to trim the lead to 40-24 at the end of the first quarter.
New Orleans’ Daniel Theis made a basket to start the second-quarter scoring before Sharpe and Simons made consecutive 3-pointers to begin a 16-4 run that expanded the lead to 26.
Murray made the Pelicans’ next two field goals before Avdija made two 3-pointers and Sharpe made one to give Portland a 75-42 halftime lead. –Field Level Media