The New Orleans Pelicans are cruising toward a trip to the Western Conference semifinals after toppling the Portland Trail Blazers in a four-game sweep. It was fueled by a collective offensive effort that helped them push on through to the second round of the playoffs.
The series was capped off in Game 4 with strong offensive performances from Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday in the close-out contest win. In fact, their combined outings tied the NBA mark for most points scored by a pair of teammates in a single playoffs game, according to the Pelicans Public Relations.
Anthony Davis (47) and Jrue Holiday (41) combine for 88 points, tying the #NBA Playoff record for points by a duo (John Havlicek & Jojo White, 1973), and become the 5th duo in playoff history to each record 40-point games (Kyrie Irving & LeBron James 6/13/16 at GSW). #DoItBigger
— Pelicans PR (@PelicansPR) April 22, 2018
The Trail Blazers simply had no answer for the Pelicans offensive firepower on Saturday night that scored 131 points on 57 percent shooting from the field without the need of overtime. In fact, Davis and Holiday combined to score 28 out of the final 29 points in the fourth quarter to help lift their team past Portland.
The duo proved to be too much to handle for their opponent as the leading offensive factor for the Pelicans in the four games played in the series. Davis averaged a double-double with 33.0 points and 12.0 rebounds on 57 percent shooting from the field along with 2.8 blocks per contest. This includes notching at least 20 points in each game that was topped by a franchise record 47 points in Game 4.
Meanwhile, Holiday more than held his own offensively averaging 27.8 points on 56.8 percent shooting from the field with 6.5 assists per contest. He also scored more than 20 points three times while garnering more than 30 points twice. Holiday was also a major factor defensively helping force All-Star point guard Damian Lillard into tough shooting nights as he shot 35.2 percent from the field and hit below 40 percent of his attempts on three occasions.
The Pelicans now head into a likely matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who have shown much promise even without two-time league MVP Stephen Curry in the lineup. His anticipated return for the second round should make for an even more exciting matchup between both teams with a trip to the Western Conference Finals on the line.
Follow Us
Subscribe