Postgame: Pelicans 100, Trail Blazers 77

[Hawksquawk]

Pelicans (27-40), Trail Blazers (29-37) The combination of Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins has been at the forefront of analysis related to the New Orleans Pelicans ever since Cousins was acquired last month. On Tuesday, whether they joined forces at the same time, or only one was on the floor, the results were outstanding. In only 29 minutes of work – and despite an ankle sprain that caused him to miss the latter portion of the second quarter – Davis posted 15 points and 15 rebounds. Meanwhile, fellow perennial All-Star big Cousins went for 22 points and nine rebounds. The duo's near "double double-double" was more than enough for New Orleans to roll to a one-sided victory, in a virtual must-win situation against Portland, a team the Pelicans are trailing in the Western Conference standings. New Orleans also played one of its best defensive games of 2016-17, limiting Portland to mere 30.3 shooting from the field. The Trail Blazers were held to 20 points or less in each of the first three quarters. IT WAS OVER WHEN… Instant-offense guard Jordan Crawford fired in a 29-foot three-pointer – yes, it was that deep – to beat the third-quarter buzzer, giving New Orleans a 77-54 lead. The Pelicans held a 14-point halftime advantage, but kept adding to the margin with an excellent third period. Portland tried to put together a push in the fourth but made little headway, eventually subbing in deep reserves such as rookie Jake Layman. PELICANS PLAYER OF THE GAME "Fire and Ice" played the way many projected when the tandem was brought together in February, both proving to be a major handful for a Portland squad getting some excellent recent play from center Jusuf Nurkic (just 1/8 Tuesday for two points). The combo shot 14/37 from the field, but were supported in spades by the rest of the roster, who were 24/43. The other starters shot 8/12. PELICANS UNSUNG CONTRIBUTOR Crawford continues to be a revelation during his 10-day contract, filling up the stat sheet and living up to his Cousins-generated nickname "Instant Grits." This time the Xavier (Ohio) product notched his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game with 13 points and kept drilling perimeter shots. He's a sliver over 50 percent from the three-point arc with New Orleans over his four games at 12/23.

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