The Portland Trail Blazers pulled away in the second half to dispatch the New Orleans Pelicans 118-106 on Thursday night at the Moda Center.
The Pelicans led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but Portland dominated after the break. Matisse Thybulle drained a 3-pointer to put the Blazers ahead to stay midway through the third quarter, and Toumani Camara hit a long-distance shot to stretch the lead to double digits.
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New Orleans closed to within a shot of Portland with 4:26 to play, but Portland finished the game on a 12-3 run, putting the game out of reach on a Jrue Holiday 3-pointer closing in on a minute to play.
Holiday led Portland with 27 points and nine assists, while Deni Avdija added 26 points and Camara added 23.
Portland center Donovan Clingan overtook Robin Lopez for the franchise’s single season record for offensive rebounds with 329.
Portland (40-38) gained an edge over the other three teams in the play-in mix with Phoenix, the LA Clippers and Golden State all losing.
“Trust the process. Everything is about the mentality and how we approach every game,” Camara said. “Let’s see how much we can do that the rest of the year.”
The Blazers overtook the Clippers for the No. 8 spot and sit 2.5 games behind Phoenix for the No. 7 spot.
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Portland heads out on the road playing at Denver on Monday night and at San Antonio on Wednesday.