Notebook: Damian Lillard Pushes Portland To Last-Second Win Over New Orleans

Damian Lillard delivered one of his finest performances of the season – and the go-ahead score with seconds remaining – to push the Trail Blazers to a 126-124 win over the Pelicans.
Jack Winter|
Notebook: Damian Lillard Pushes Portland To Last-Second Win Over New Orleans
Notebook: Damian Lillard Pushes Portland To Last-Second Win Over New Orleans

News, analysis, observations, video and more from the Portland Trail Blazers' last-second 126-124 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

  • By the the time first half was over, it seemed no one had come to play but Damian Lillard. Not that you could blame the Blazers; their plane landed in New Orleans less than three hours before tipoff, and Tuesday's win over the Thunder came down to the wire. Portland entered intermission down 10 points, with the game's momentum pointing squarely in the Pelicans' direction. But then the third quarter tipped off, Terry Stotts' defensive adjustments paid dividends and the Blazers – led by Dame, of course – got hot from deep. When Gary Trent Jr. drained a wing three as the third-quarter buzzer expired, Portland was up 94-91, setting the stage for Lillard's typical late-game heroics.
  • The numbers are really all you need to hear: 43 points, a career-high 16 assists, 50 percent shooting and seven three-pointers. The go-ahead and-1 with 16 seconds left pretty much tells the story, too. The manner in which Lillard so masterfully dissected New Orleans in pick-and-roll all game long, though, reminds of just how far he's come as a playmaker since that humbling first-round playoff defeat in 2018. Everyone knows about the ever-deepening shooting range, but it wouldn't pose nearly such a threat if Lillard couldn't work his way into other options – whichever one he wants these days – when the defense tries to force the ball from his hands at 30 feet. There's just no pick-and-roll operator in basketball doing it better than Lillard right now; not James Harden, not Steph Curry, not Luka Doncic, not LeBron James. It's literally impossible for defenses to contain a player who presents a sustained shooting threat from near halfcourt, but also has the burst, skill and court sense needed to make plays like below. Lillard, as Enes Kanter said following Tuesday's game, really is a "cheat code."
  • Barely 24 hours after blocking a career-high six shots against the Thunder, Robert Covington was even better defensively against New Orleans. It's no surprise Zion Williamson, his primary assignment, proved nearly unstoppable. He's already the biggest physical mismatch in the NBA, and rapidly improving as a decision-maker with the ball. But Covington's quick, grabby hands and sturdy base at least made life hard for Williamson at times on Wednesday, far more than any other Portland defender could say. Covington's efforts elsewhere were even more impressive, including another two blocks – both on dunk tries by Willy Hernangomez – and an iso stop on Brandon Ingram during the game's final possession. A major added bonus? Covington's 12 points on six shots, an indication of his burgeoning comfort and confidence offensively.
  • This was not Carmelo Anthony's night. He redeemed himself a bit late after a terrible start, but performances like Wednesday's make it easy to remember why a vocal subset of fans are hoping his role diminishes when the Blazers are finally healthy. Don't count on it, at least if 'Melo keeps sprinkling in throwback scoring games. His tunnel vision offensively hurts Portland even on better shooting nights, though, and Anthony's penchant for truly wasted possessions is something the Blazers can't afford come playoff time.
  • Trent, believe it or not, also missed a couple obvious passing opportunities versus the Pelicans before choosing to attack himself. His shoot-first, shoot-second instincts are less debilitating than Anthony's, in part because his shots generally come within better flow of the offense, but also because he's one of the best pure shooters in basketball. Trent knocked down five more threes against New Orleans, including a side-step and-1 from the corner and a crunch-time triple in ball-screen action with Lillard. If you're still waiting for Trent to come back to earth from deep, it's high time to stop – this is who he is.
  • Rodney Hood, who missed the last two games with a sprained left foot, returned on Wednesday. He was a team-worst -11 and went just 2-of-6 from the field, but it was encouraging nonetheless to see him roast Hernangomez with the dribble in semi-transition and finish at the rim with a two-handed dunk. Hood, coming off last year's ACL tear, has a role to fill for Portland at his peak; here's hoping he's healthy enough going forward to continue to try and reach it.

Next up: home vs. Washington Wizards on Saturday, 7:00 p.m. (PST)

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Jack Winter
JACK WINTER

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