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LaMarcus Aldridge puts up double-double, Trail Blazers blow out Pelicans

LaMarcus Aldridge recorded his 16th double-double this season, scoring 27 points and registering 12 rebounds, to help the Portland Trail Blazers drub the New Orleans Pelicans, 114-88. The Trail Blazers had an impressive game shooting the ball from the field in this one, going 48-90 (53.3%). Portland (22-6) is now on a five-game winning streak.

Aldridge went 12-20, in a quality offensive outing. Other top contributors for Portland included Damian Lillard with 17 points and seven assists, and Chris Kaman with 16 points and six rebounds. Despite the loss, Austin Rivers scored 21 points off the bench for New Orleans on 5-9 shooting from the field and 11-12 from the free throw line.

The high-octane offense of the Pelicans did not have its best game, struggling to score against the stingy Trail Blazers defense that ranks third in the league with a defensive efficiency of 98.7. Despite scoring just .905 points per possession in this one, the Pelicans rank fifth in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 106.9. In addition to 20.0% from 3-point range, the Pelicans tallied an eFG% of just 37.1%. They are 1-5 on the season when registering marks below 30% and 45%, respectively, in those statistics. The Trail Blazers, conversely, are 9-1 when holding the opposition to such dismal shooting numbers.

This drops New Orleans (13-13) to 0-2 versus Portland on the season.

Coming up, the Trail Blazers play the Houston Rockets, who are 19-6 on the season. The Pelicans meet the Oklahoma City Thunder, currently sitting at 13-14 this year. The Pelicans are 1-0 versus Oklahoma City this season.