----- Brandon Ingram scored a game-high 29 points and CJ McCollum added 17 points and eight assists as the New Orleans Pelicans routed the Portland Trail Blazers 124-90 Monday night at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Brandon Ingram scored 29 points and the New Orleans Pelicans routed the hapless Portland Trail Blazers 124-90 on Monday night.
CJ McCollum added 17 points and eight assists and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 10 points and 21 rebounds, the Pelicans led by as many as 36.
The victory gave New Orleans their fifth-straight win and improved their overall record to 38-37.
“We're playing with energy. We play together. We enjoy basketball,” Valanciunas said. “That gives us extra motivation, playing for something. So I think everybody is motivated. Everybody has a goal.”
Portland (32-43) played without most of their key players due to injuries, including top scorer Damian Lillard (right calf), Jerami Grant (bruised left quad), Jusuf Nurkic (right knee) and Anfernee Simons (right foot).
Keon Johnson led Portland with 20 points.
“I wasn't concerned about the effort. I thought we played hard," coach Chauncey Billups said. “That's a team that's on a mission. They're playing very well, and they just kicked our butt, man.”
Up Next- The Trail Blazers will host the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night at Moda Center. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM.
Chad's Take- With the loss, Blazers now tied with Orlando for 5th in the NBA Draft Lottery Order.