Anthony Davis, Pelicans Outlast Trail Blazers in Game 2; Jrue Holiday Drops 33
The Portland Trail Blazers are officially in danger.
Anthony Davis had a double-double and Jrue Holiday added a playoff career-high 33 points, as the New Orleans Pelicans held on for a 111-102 win over the Blazers on Tuesday. The Pelicans hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as they head back home for Game 3.
Down five at halftime, New Orleans came back and built a lead during a 33-19 third quarter that would ultimately help them win the game. The two sides battled in a seesaw fourth quarter, with the Blazers briefly taking a one-point lead with 3:20 remaining on a Maurice Harkless three.
The Blazers didn't score again for nearly three minutes, as New Orleans responded with threes from Nikola Mirotic, Holiday and Rajon Rondo. The Pelicans grabbed four offensive rebounds in the final three minutes to help seal the victory.
Davis pulled down four offensive boards himself as part of a 22-point, 13-rebound effort. Going back to the regular season, he's had a double-double in seven of his last eight games. Aside from a surprising five turnovers Tuesday night, Davis has continued to be the Pelicans' near-flawless two-way leader in what's been a career season.
Holiday, long the underrated cog in New Orleans' playoff push, took center stage for most of Game 2. Twelve of Holiday's 33 points came in the fourth quarter, overshadowing a quiet performance from Davis down the stretch. Davis went scoreless and attempted only two shots in the final 12 minutes.
Holiday has also been brilliant defensively, particularly when tasked with guarding Damian Lillard. The Blazers star has just two points on 0-of-8 shooting with Holiday guarding him this series, per ESPN.
Lillard had 17 points and four assists in another disappointing effort. He's shooting 13-of-41 (31.7 percent) from the floor and has been clearly outplayed by his counterpart, Rondo—something no one would have expected coming into the series.
Rondo was one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. After a 17-assist effort in Game 1, the veteran seems poised to make himself some serious money this summer if he keeps up this level of play. Rondo is the Pelicans' eighth-highest-paid player this season after signing a one-year deal in the offseason.
Nikola Mirotic had 17 points and eight rebounds to round out double-figure scoring for New Orleans. The Pels shot 51.2 percent as a team.
CJ McCollum scored a team-high 22 points for the Blazers, who had six players in double figures. Al-Farouq Aminu had a 14-point, 15-rebound double-double, while Jusuf Nurkic (13 points), Zach Collins (12 points) and Harkless (11 points) also had 10 or more.
The Blazers are now a severe underdog in the series and will have to sweep the next two at New Orleans to avoid going into a potential Game 5 on the brink of elimination.
The Pelicans, who appeared to be fighting an uphill battle after losing DeMarcus Cousins for the season, are instead two wins away from being a surprise entrant in the conference semifinals.
