Pelicans steal another win in Portland: 3 takeaways

The New Orleans Pelicans closed Game 2 on a 12-2 run to steal another game in Portland and go up 2-0 over the Trail Blazers.

For the second consecutive season, Rajon Rondo’s team has gone up 2-0 in its first-round series by winning the first two games on the road. Last year it was the Chicago Bulls against the Boston Celtics, and this year it’s the sixth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans stealing two road wins over the No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers. The Pelicans just have to hope a surprise injury doesn’t derail Rondo this time around.

New Orleans used a 12-2 run to close the game after the Blazers fought back from an 11-point second-half deficit to take a 100-99 lead with 3:20 to play. 3-pointers from Nikola Mirotic, Jrue Holiday and Rondo were the difference in those final three-plus minutes.

Rondo’s dagger triple came at the end of a wild sequence. After a Damian Lillard turnover, E’Twaun Moore went to the line for two shots with the Pelicans up five points. Moore missed the two free throws but got his own rebound, only to miss a point-blank layup attempt. Somehow, Rondo tracked down the loose ball, and then at the end of the shot clock, he buried a wide-open corner 3.

This win only added to the legend of Playoff Rondo. The point guard just missed a triple-double, going for 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Anthony Davis didn’t have as prolific a game as usual and shockingly didn’t score a point in the fourth quarter, but he still recorded a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Mirotic also came up big again with 17 points, with three of those coming on a rainbow 3-pointer after the Blazers took the lead:

But the star of the show was somebody else.

Takeaways

Jrue Holiday controlled the game. After a terrific Game 1 that ended with Holiday sealing the game with his defense, the Pelicans guard was even better in Game 2. The 27-year-old scored a playoff career-high 33 points on 14-of-24 shooting to go along with nine assists in 38 minutes.

Holiday was brilliant from the start. He attacked the rim relentlessly and made six field goals at the rim alone in the first quarter, including this monster slam:

Holiday didn’t do as much scoring in the middle quarters, but he poured in 12 points in the game-deciding fourth quarter. Two of his four fourth-quarter baskets came after the Blazers had tied the game, and another was that clutch 3-pointer in the midst of the Pelicans’ final run.

And, of course, Holiday was a menace defensively. He took a key charge in the fourth quarter and did an excellent job on the Blazers’ guards. While Holiday did get into some foul trouble, he played stout defense in the final frame without committing any more fouls after picking up a fourth in the third quarter.

The Blazers need more from their star backcourt. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined to shoot just 13 of 41 in the Game 1 loss, and conventional wisdom suggested the duo would bounce back with a much better showing in Game 2.

That wasn’t the case.

Lillard shot 7 of 17 from the field and only made one of his seven 3-point attempts en route to 17 points. He also had seven turnovers to only four assists. New Orleans hedged aggressively against Lillard on ball screens for much of the game in order to get the ball out of his hands, a plan that worked out for the most part. There were a few breakdowns that resulted in open looks for the Blazers at the rim, and Al-Farouq Aminu took advantage of some space to hit four of his six 3-point attempts. But New Orleans will allow that if it means Lillard isn’t raining fire all over them.

Meanwhile, McCollum was just okay with 22 points on 9-of-21 shooting. He had a few stretches where he got hot, but he made just two of his six field goal attempts in the fourth quarter.

Portland needs Lillard and McCollum to get going — and fast — now that the team is in this hole and heading on the road.

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Moe Harkless provided a spark in his return. Harkless hadn’t played since late March due to knee surgery, and he provided a boost in his return to the lineup. He scored 11 points and grabbed five boards while making all five of his shot attempts off the bench, including a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter that got a friendly bounce.

The Blazers outscored the Pelicans by 10 points in Harkless’ 27 minutes as part of a stellar showing overall from their bench. In addition to Harkless, rookie Zach Collins had 12 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes. Pat Connaughton and Ed Davis also made contributions.

New Orleans doesn’t really have any reserves it can count on, so Harkless returning adds to Portland’s depth advantage. That advantage could go away some if Jusuf Nurkic (leg contusion) and Evan Turner miss time (toe contusion), but Portland’s bench should come in handy either way. If the Blazers can bounce back and drag this series out, the Pelicans’ stars could wear down.