NBA -- How sweep it is: Pelicans eliminate Blazers
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 23 Apr 2018
CHICAGO -- The New Orleans Pelicans are off to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
The milestone was achieved yesterday when New Orleans outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4, 131-123, completing a four-game romp in their best of seven showdown. The Pelicans, seeded sixth in the Western Conference, were heavy underdogs against the third-seeded Blazers.
Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday were too much to handle for Portland. Davis scattered 47 points and 11 rebounds while Holiday finished with 41 points and eight assists. Both combined to convert 30 of their 47 field goal attempts.
"It was fun. It was an amazing feeling for me to go out and sweep these guys and play the way I played," Davis said after the series clincher before a jampacked crowd at the Smoothie King Center in downtown New Orleans.
The Pels shot 45 of 79 from the field (57 percent) and 9 of 25 from 3-point distance (36 percent). They also out-rebounded the Blazers, 44-33, and swished 32 of 39 free throws. New Orleans will play the winner of the Warriors-Spurs quarterfinals for the slot in the West Finals.
C.J. McCollum sizzled with 38 points for Portland, helping cut a 15-point deficit down to one with 5:03 left in the fourth quarter, but the Pelicans proved more steady down the stretch.
Damian Lillard was held to 19 points. He acknowledged the tough defensive scheme New Orleans threw on him all series. (HDS)
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Homer D. Sayson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Canelo-Crawford: The Consolidation of Boxing’s New Commercial Empire
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025A New Era for Boxing: Canelo vs. Crawford Shatters Global Viewership Records on Netflix
By Dong Secuya, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Crawford Not the First Lightweight to Distinguish Himself at Super Middleweight
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Kurt Scoby and Josh Popper Headline Boxing Insider Card September 19 in Times Square
Wed, 17 Sep 2025Green and Gold 2025: Amateur Boxing’s International Gathering in Bolivia
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 17 Sep 2025Pakistan's Sameer Khan Set to Battle for UBO Youth World Title in Brico Santig’s Sep 27 Show in Thailand
By Carlos Costa, Tue, 16 Sep 2025SAMBO Pilipinas is Southern NSA of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kingsley “The Black Lion” Ibeh To headline historic “Legacy Nights” Inaugural Pro Boxing event in El Salvador
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Smarts over power
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 16 Sep 2025HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION RICKY HATTON
Tue, 16 Sep 2025Kazakhstan tops the medal table at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 thanks to victory in the final bout of the competition
Tue, 16 Sep 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 13: JOE FRAZIER’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AS AN AMATEUR FIGHTER
By Maloney L. Samaco, Mon, 15 Sep 2025A New King, A New Challenger: Turki Alalshikh Proposes Crawford-Benavidez While Canelo Alvarez Faces Defeat with Humility
By Dong Secuya, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Highly Questionable Title Eliminator
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Mon, 15 Sep 2025Yoseline Perez Earns Silver Medal at Inaugural World Boxing Championships
Mon, 15 Sep 2025