Davis, Holiday dominate as Pelicans complete sweep of Blazers, 131-123

Anthony Davis drops 19 PTS in Q3 for the @PelicansNBA! #DoItBigger #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Hl5rWmVJQV

— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2018

One team had everything to gain and nothing to lose. The other had much to lose.

It was only fitting that the two stars came up with the two biggest plays in the midst of the biggest game of their careers.

Jrue Holiday somehow stayed in bounds to preserve a possession and then nailed a jump shot in stone cold fashion before Anthony Davis blocked a shot, got fouled and made two free throws to put the game and the series on ice in a 131-123 victory for the New Orleans Pelicans over the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday afternoon at Smoothie King Center.

Holding on for dear life with a 127-123 lead with just 47 seconds left, it appeared that Holiday had stepped out of bounds in front court on the baseline and turned the ball over the the hot Blazers. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry pleaded for a replay after Holiday complained that he had not stepped out of bounds. The call was overturned upon replay as Holiday somehow kept his heel in bounds, despite the fact that it was hanging over the baseline. He then knocked down a jumper with 40.7 seconds left.

On the other end of the floor, Davis blocked Al Farouq-Aminu’s jumper and Niko Mirotic came up with the ball. Davis got it back in front court, was fouled and drained both free throws with 20.9 seconds left.

That capped one of the best dual performances in recent NBA history by a pair of brilliant performances by a pair of brilliant players.

Davis finished with 47 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. He scored 33 points in the second half after Portland played bully ball against him in the first half, trying to rough him up and get under his skin.

When you poke the bear, you will awaken the bear and bear the consequences. The Blazers couldn’t bare what Davis unleashed against them in the second half. They will have to bear the pain of knowing they were whipped, swept by a lower seed. Davis scored his 47 points efficiently, making 15-of-24 shots from the field (62.5%). He was also 15-of-17 from the free throw line (88%),

Then, there was Jrue.

Holiday scored 41 points and had eight assists. He was 15-of-23 from the field (65%) and made 9-of-12 free throws (75%). The only negative was seven turnovers but so what? Their performances marked the first time in franchise history that two players eclipsed 40 points in the same game.

41 for Jrue!

Holiday knocks down the pull-up J to extend the @PelicansNBA lead to 6!

40.4 left on @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/2ef29Js2Hz

— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2018

Do the math.

The latest version of the dynamic duo combined to go 30-of-47 (64%) from the field and 24-of-29 (83%) from the free throw line.

Davis and Holiday scored 67 percent of the points for the Pelicans. They needed every one of them.

Portland came out determined to rough up the Pelicans and to try to get under their skin. It was a last gasp effort.

Amid shoving matches and numerous technical fouls, the first half was more of a donnybrook than a basketball game, at times.

There were three technical on the Pelicans and two on the Blazers, as well as a flagrant foul on Portland in the first half alone.

Portland came to play. The Blazers did not surrender. New Orleans had to earn it.

Evan Turner opened game with reverse layup over Anthony Davis. Then, Davis picked up his first foul with 10:04 to play in the first quarter.

Damian Lillard picked up his second foul with 8:25 to play in the first quarter and he stayed in the game, a sign of the desperation of the Blazers.

Davis had eight points while Holiday had seven points and three assists in the first quarter. Davis picked up his third foul with 2:51 to play in the half.

Portland had a huge 7-0 edge on second chance points in the half.

Al Farouq-Aminu and CJ McCollum had 15 points each, while Davis and Holiday scored 14 each in the first half. There were 10 turnovers on New Orleans, including five on Holiday. Davis finished the half with three fouls. The Pelicans were up just two despite shooting 60.6% (20-of-33). On the other hand, New Orleans was just 3-of-13 (23%) from 3-point range.

The New Orleans bench had a 9-3 edge in scoring in the half. Niko Mirotic, being guarded closely, took just four shots and scored four points, but E’Twaun Moore stepped up with his best play thus far in the series with 12 points.

New Orleans had a huge edge at the free throw line in the half. The Pelicans made 15-of-19 attempts while the Blazers were 7-of-9. Anthony Davis had 14 points, making 5-of-6 shots from the field in the half.

Davis came out like a man possessed in the third quarter, a clear response to Portland’s attempt to rough him up. He roughed up the Blazers, scoring 19 points in the quarter as New Orleans built a 100-87 lead going to the final quarter.

The Pelicans were unconscious on the offensive end, scoring 42 points in the quarter. Portland was excellent in the quarter, particularly McCollum and Lillard, as the Blazers scored 31 points but lost the quarter 11 points, a continuing theme of simply getting beat by a better team.

Davis rested to start the fourth quarter. It showed.

Portland opened the quarter on an 11-4 run to cut the deficit to 104-98 with 8:36 to play in the game. The rest of the game became a shootout and a survival exercise for the Pelicans. Portland outscored the Pelicans 36-31 in the final quarter and shot 53 percent but it was not enough. That is because New Orleans shot 57 percent from the field.

Rondo had seven points but dished out 16 assists with just two turnovers. Moore was solid with 14 points, playing his best game of the series. Mirotic was a focal point of the Portland defense and he scored just 10 points but had 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. The New Orleans reserved scored just 12 points but the Portland reserves scored just six.

Jusuf Nurkic, who was a force with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists, fouled out with 1:09 to play on a determined drive by Holiday. McCollum came up big with 38 points while Lillard had 19.

They were very good but Holiday and Rondo were better, in game four and throughout the entire series. New Orleans has won 29 straight games when scoring 110 or more points.

The Pelicans will be huge underdogs against the world champion Warriors, who will finish off the Spurs, likely tomorrow. That said. New Orleans has won nine straight games. This team cannot be ignored.

Virtually no one picked the Pelicans to win this series against a higher seed. They won it in a clean sweep and it was real, no fluke in any fashion. It is the first playoff sweep in franchise history and only the second time that the team is into the second round of the playoffs since relocating to New Orleans from Charlotte.

Alvin Gentry, who many have criticized and who fans have booed, is now 16-9 as a playoff coach.

Gentry on the crowd support #doitBIGGER pic.twitter.com/MnXysqpqtQ

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 22, 2018

“We’re still hungry and we’re not done yet,” Holiday said.

The Pelicans intend go bigger. They will have a chance to do it against the biggest and best in the conference semifinals. Golden State had beaten New Orleans 10 straight times before the Pelicans won 126-120 on April 7 at Oakland. That has to give the Pelicans some degree of confidence, along with the nine-game win streak.

On a big stage, the Pelicans handled the bright lights. Now they are ready for an even brighter stage.

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RELEASE: NEW ORLEANS PELICANS ANNOUNCE TICKET PRE-SALE FOR ROUND 2 OF THE NBA PLAYOFFS
An exclusive pre-sale for Pelicans season ticket holders will begin Monday, April 23 at 9:00 a.m. to purchase individual tickets for Games 3 & 4 of the second round of the playoffs. All season ticket holders will be sent a link and password via e-mail to access these playoff tickets.

Fans are highly encouraged to sign up for Pelicans Insider, the Pelicans free weekly e-mail newsletter, to be eligible for the Pelicans pre-sale on Tuesday, April 24 at 8:00 a.m. Fans can sign up for Pelicans Insider by visiting Pelicans.com and will be sent a link and password via e-mail to access the pre-sale.

A limited number of tickets will go on sale to the public if necessary on Wednesday, April 25 at 8:00 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at Pelicans.com, Ticketmaster.com, by calling (504)-525-HOOP or by visiting the Smoothie King Center box office located at 1501 Dave Dixon Drive, New Orleans, LA 70113.

For more information on the 2018 Playoffs or to purchase season tickets for the 2018-19 season, please visit Pelicans.com.