Trey Murphy III scored 24 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 93-84 on Saturday night, their fifth win in six games.
Brandon Ingram had 17 points, nine assists, and five rebounds, while Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and nine rebounds to help New Orleans recover from a setback to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. The Pelicans were without Zion Williamson due to an injured left foot.
“(Murphy) looked like himself tonight,” Pelicans coach Willie Green commented. “He was a solid defender, contesting shots and rebounding the ball. It was great to see Trey making shots. That’s what he can do. It makes it very difficult for any opponent.”
Jerami Grant led Portland with 24 points, while Deandre Ayton added 18 points and 17 rebounds. Dalano Banton scored 12 points in his first game with the Trail Blazers after being acquired from Boston at the trade deadline.
Portland was without starter guards Anfernee Simons (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (sickness), and rookie player Scoot Henderson (foot).
New Orleans led by 13 points in the third quarter, holding off a Portland comeback. New Orleans shot 47.4%, while Portland shot 43.7% and hit only 6 of 21 three-pointers.
“I thought our defense was incredible the whole game,” Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups remarked. “We had an outstanding defense. That’s one of the league’s best scoring teams, and we limited them to 93 points. We simply weren’t able to produce points.”
