The Portland Trail Blazers (13-9) continue a four-game homestand Saturday night when they host the New Orleans Pelicans (11-11) at Moda Center. The matchup is the second between the two sides in 2016-17, following Portland's 103-93 win in their home opener back on October 24.
Portland is coming off a disappointing return to home on Thursday as the Blazers fell, 103-91, to Milwaukee to snap a three-game win streak. Center Jusuf Nurkić led the Blazers in the defeat with 25 points. Overall Damian Lillard leads Portland with an average of 25.4 points per game, having scored at least 25 points in four of the last five games.
- WATCH: NBC Sports Northwest (STREAM)
- LISTEN: Rip City Radio 620
New Orleans visits Portland on the second night of a back-to-back following a 114-108 defeat in Utah Friday night. Anthony Davis leads the Pelicans with 25.2 points per game, just ahead of DeMarcus Cousins' even 25 points per game. The big men are averaging a combined 23.5 rebounds each game.
"They’re just playing real aggressively, both ends of the floor," Lillard said of Saturday's competition. "Obviously, AD and Boogie [Cousins], they’re playing really well together — shooting threes, they’re playing off each other, setting screens for each other.
"Jrue Holiday, [Rajon] Rondo, Tony Allen, they’ve got a lot of guys around [Cousins and Davis] that make them a really solid team, a team that’s tough to play against."
Tipoff for Saturday's game is 7 pm as Kevin Calabro and Lamar Hurd call the action from Moda Center on NBC Sports Northwest. Brian Wheeler and Michael Holton bring fans the game on Rip City Radio 620.