Deandre Ayton recorded a double-double, Dalano Banton scored all 20 of his points in the fourth quarter, and the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away for a 118-100 win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
Ayton finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Anfernee Simons added 24 points. Jerami Grant and Toumani Camara both chipped in 16 points each.
For the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram led the team with 27 points, Brandon Boston Jr. scored 20, Jose Alvarado had 18, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl contributed 12, and Jaylen Nowell added 11 off the bench.
Ayton scored three field goals to start the second half, sparking a 12-2 run that gave Portland a 60-59 lead. However, the Pelicans quickly regained the lead with Yves Missi and Ingram scoring four points each, putting New Orleans ahead by four.
Simons then went on a personal seven-point run to give the Blazers a one-point lead at 71-70, but Nowell scored the next five points to give the Pelicans a 75-71 lead. The Pelicans led 82-79 at the end of the third quarter.
In the final period, Grant hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 84, and the lead changed hands several times before Banton scored four quick points, putting the Blazers up 94-89. Portland dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring New Orleans 39-18 to secure the victory.
Earlier in the game, Ingram scored eight points, Alvarado and Robinson-Earl had five each, and Boston added four during a 22-12 run that helped the Pelicans build a lead.
They extended their advantage to 13 points twice, but the Blazers managed to trim the gap with four free throws and a layup by Scoot Henderson, ending the first quarter with a score of 30-21.
The Pelicans scored the first five points of the second quarter, but Portland responded with an 8-0 run to close the gap to 35-29. Robinson-Earl ended that run with a 3-pointer, but the Blazers managed to tie the game at 46 after Simons scored five straight points.
In the final minutes of the second quarter, Boston scored five points, and Ingram added four during a 9-2 run, giving the Pelicans a 55-48 lead at halftime.
