Holiday, Avdija Put Away Pelicans as Blazers Finish Strong

The Pelicans keep poking at the door, but Portland keeps answering with veteran poise. In a game that never quite blew open until the final minutes, the Blazers beat New Orleans 118-106 behind a balanced surge from Jrue Holiday, Deni Avdija, and Toumani Camara, then closed the night with the kind of crunch-time execution that turns a competitive game into a comfortable win.

Portland starts fast enough to set the tone, taking a 35-32 edge after one quarter, but New Orleans swings back immediately. Jeremiah Fears comes off the bench and lights a fuse with a 3-point running shot during an 8-0 Pelicans burst that flips a 35-30 deficit into a 38-35 lead. Later in the second, Zion Williamson pressures the rim and cashes in 2-of-2 at the line as part of another 8-0 run that pushes New Orleans in front 48-39. The Pelicans briefly own the momentum, and for stretches of the first half they look like the team more comfortable dictating pace.

But Portland never lets the game get away from it. The Blazers trim the margin before halftime, then come out of the break with their biggest sequence of the night. With New Orleans leading 76-71 in the third, Portland explodes for a 14-0 run that changes the entire shape of the game. It starts with the dirty work — K. Murray’s putback layup — and turns into a full-on momentum grab as Portland strings together stops, rebounds, and cleaner looks. Suddenly it’s 85-76, and the Blazers are the ones playing downhill. That swing is the turning point. New Orleans had the lead and enough time to control the game, but once Portland’s third-quarter run lands, the Pelicans spend the rest of the night trying to catch up.

The closing stretch is where Portland’s veterans separate themselves. New Orleans does make one last push in the fourth, cutting a 106-96 game to 106-103 on Derik Queen’s free throws, and the Pelicans keep scrapping defensively with a Queen block, a Thybulle steal, and another Fears steal in the late minutes. But every time the visitors threaten to make it a one-possession game, Portland answers with a higher-level read or a bigger shot. Avdija drives for a layup to push the lead back to six, Zion answers with a driving layup to keep the pressure on, and then Robert Williams III throws down an alley-oop from Avdija to stretch it again. That sequence feels like the final break.

Then Jrue Holiday lands the knockout. With 1:21 left, he rises for a 25-foot step-back three and buries it to make it 116-105. It’s the kind of shot that ends debate, quiets any comeback talk, and reflects exactly how Portland controlled the finish: a guard who can make the right pass all night and still take over when the game asks for it. Holiday finishes with 27 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 7 threes, while Avdija stuffs the box score with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Camara adds 23 points and six made threes, giving Portland a third perimeter weapon who punishes rotations.

For New Orleans, the effort is there, but the shot-making and late-game execution aren’t enough. Fears scores 21 and keeps attacking, Zion finishes with 15 points and repeatedly gets to his spots inside, and Derik Queen impacts the game in a major way as a scorer, rebounder, and passer — even if the Pelicans can’t fully convert his strong fourth-quarter stretch into a serious rally. The bigger picture for Portland is encouraging: this is the type of win that shows balance, shot versatility, and closing instincts. If the Blazers are going to stay relevant in the postseason race, wins like this — against a team that’s still capable of generating runs — are the blueprint.