Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers Preview | March 27
CJ McCollum and the New Orleans Pelicans (37-37) are rolling back into the Rose City riding a four-game winning streak. Willie Green's visiting squad is a win away from rising above .500, while the Portland Trail Blazers (32-42) are two losses away from being eliminated from playoff contention. Considering the upcoming schedule, this is the best chance for the Pelicans to scoop up a win before next week's rematch against the LA Clippers at home.
McCollum was already thinking about the meaning of this trip to Portland as soon as the 131-110 win over the Clippers was over. McCollum has not missed the playoffs in 10 years, but the Trail Blazers have fallen short of the postseason standard since he was traded to New Orleans.
"I heard that their season is over. I guess the word on the streets is that they're not gonna make the playoffs this year, which is very unfortunate...I watch a lot of their games. I watch League Pass, and I talk to Dame a lot. I talk to a lot of the staff, a lot of the players, and I wish them nothing but the best. I want to see them be healthy. I want to obviously see him playing on the biggest stage. But, it just wasn't his year."
New Orleans still has Jose Alvarado (right tibial stress reaction), E.J. Liddell (right knee ACL injury recovery), and Zion Williamson (right hamstring strain) listed as out on the injury report. Dereon Seabron has been called up from the Birmingham Squadron now that the G-League season is over.
Williamson is at least another week away, according to the team. Still, McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Trey Murphy III are starting to look like the same trio that led last season's six-game first-round run against the Phoenix Suns.
Green is going with Point, B.I., and the adjustment is bringing out Playoff B.I. Ingram has 62 points, 23 assists, and 15 rebounds with just one turnover and no missed free-throws (14/14) in the last two games, both on the road. The former All-Star has 45 assists in the previous 5 games and no passing turnovers in the last three games.
McCollum has been solid playing through a thumb injury which will require surgery at the end of the season. Murphy III is starting to set three-point records every week. The second-year sensation made nine three-pointers against Portland two weeks ago and ten against the Clippers two nights ago.
Ingram, who is showing far more confidence in Murphy III this season, explained, "I felt like he was going to shoot no matter who was in front of him. I just wanted to keep feeding him the ball."
Jan 20, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA;New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) dunks against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Murphy III admitted, "I've looked up to B.I. since I was in ninth grade because he was one of the best players in North Carolina, where I'm from," Murphy said. "To have him as a teammate and a guy that trusts me, I look up to him as someone for working out and all that stuff. I just look up to him as a teammate."
"It's all coming together at the right time," coach Willie Green said. "We've gone through a bit of ups and downs. But Trey has been pretty consistent in his ability to step on the floor and help us on both ends of the floor. We have to keep it going. That's the deal for us."
Portland is focusing on development down the stretch. Monday is a back-to-back for the Trail Blazers, who must submit their own injury report before 3 PM. However, the latest report has most of their starting five sitting out.
Damian Lillard (calf), Jusuf Nurkic (knee), and Trendon Watford (ankle) are listed as day-to-day. Jerami Grant (quad), Anfernee Simons (foot), and Justice Winslow (ankle) are out. Lillard has not played in the last two games. Perhaps Lillard planned the rest looking ahead to McCollum's visit, but Portland coach Chauncey Billups is already getting questions about Dame being shut down for the season following a weekend report from Shams Charnia.
- When: Monday, March 27 @ 9:00 PM CT
- Where: Portland, OR - Moda Center
- Watch: Bally Sports NO
- Listen: 99.5 WRNO
Projected Starting Lineups:
Trail Blazers: Matisse Thybulle, Trendon Watford, Drew Eubanks, Shaedon Sharpe, Ryan Arcidiacono
Pelicans: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, Jonas Valanciunas
The teams square off for the fourth time this season, with New Orleans up 2-1 in the series. The Pelicans won 127-110 behind 41 points from Trey Murphy III. Anfernee Simons scored 17 points for the Trail Blazers, who have lost their last 6 home games.
Shaedon Sharpe has been stepping up in Lillard's absence, averaging 25.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in the last three games. Matisse Thybulle can score in bunches and is also a borderline All-Defensive team defender who can give McCollum trouble.
New Orleans cannot sag off too much, or Portland can pull a March Madness-style upset. Nassir Little put up 28 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Still, Portland is 2-8 over the last ten games for a reason. The Point Ingram experiment should get plenty of time to play with a comfortable lead.
Portland is averaging just 108.8 points while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.9 points per game. The Pelicans are 6-4, averaging 114.6 points on 49.0% shooting from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.3 points.
The Pelicans can fall no lower than 10th with a loss, but a win keeps them in the conversation for the 5th or 6th seeds. They just beat the fifth-seeded LA Clippers and are chasing the current sixth-seeded Warriors, who they'll play tomorrow on a back-to-back.
Mar 21, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) reacts to a play with guard Josh Richardson (2) against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Steph Curry is getting hot at the right time. On Thursday's trip, New Orleans will be an underdog to face the Denver Nuggets. Now is not the time to lose focus and let a game slip away.
Can New Orleans pull out another win in Portland, or will they stay stuck in the middle of the NBA Play-In pack? Stay tuned to Pelicans Scoop for the latest updates to the injury reports and betting lines before tip-off.
Read More Pelicans Scoop Articles:
- Coach Green Comments On Team's Body Language
- CJ McCollum Career At A Crossroads
- Pelicans Scouting Sweet 16's Second-Round Prospects
- NBA Championship Formula Revisited
- Willie Green's Rotations Need More Time To Build Rhythm
- Herb Jones As Center Unlocks Options For Pelicans
- 5 Lineups To Lean On, And Learn From, These Last 5 Weeks
