It hasn't been the smoothest of campaigns for the Portland Trail Blazers. Star guard Damian Lillard has already missed several games due to an abdominal injury, while his running mate CJ McCollum is still out indefinitely with a collapsed lung.

If there's one team that knows exactly what the Trail Blazers are going through, it's the New Orleans Pelicans. The squad is still without often-injured star Zion Williamson, and several other guys have already missed games due to the injury bug and COVID-19 situation.

But on Tuesday night, the Pelicans hacked out a 111-97 win over the Trail Blazers. Lillard didn't offer any excuses after the loss. Instead, he gave a five-word compliment about playing against the Pelicans even without Williamson, who will be re-evaluated in four to six weeks.

Via ESPN:

“Not a piece of cake.”

Lillard tried to keep the Trail Blazers afloat, finishing with 39 points on 6-of-11 shooting from deep and seven assists. But his efforts fell short against the Pelicans, who are now on a three-game winning streak. Despite their defeat, Lillard said they gave a valiant performance:

“We're in the end of this road trip. We knew it was going to be a competitive, tough game. Who are we to expect to come here and walk through anybody? So, we gave ourselves a chance.”

Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers, who fell to 13-19, will finally return home for a three-game stand starting with the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.