Trey Murphy III scored 24 points as the New Orleans Pelicans snapped a seven-game skid with a 143-120 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday.
Bryce McGowens added a career-high 23 points — including 5-of-5 3-pointers — and Jordan Poole contributed 22 off the bench in his first game since Nov. 4 following a left quad strain.
McGowens had 10 without a miss in the fourth quarter, which New Orleans dominated 38-23 to seize control of the contest.
Shaedon Sharpe posted 21 and Sidy Cissoko finished with a personal-best 20 for Portland.
The Pelicans raced out of the blocks and led 39-30 at the end of the first, piloted by Murphy and Poole, who had eight points each.
Poole checked in off the bench with 7:08 on the clock, ending an 18-game absence.
He appeared to hurt his right ankle after stepping on a teammate’s foot while hitting a 3-pointer late in the quarter, before subbing off with 7.8 seconds left.
Poole shrugged off the pain to start the second frame with a spinning layup and 3-pointer.
New Orleans led 42-30 early in the second before the Trail Blazers dragged it back and edged ahead for the first time on Sharpe’s trey.
The quarter featured eight lead changes before finishing with the Pelicans up 70-68, but without Herb Jones, who was ejected with 1.3 seconds remaining in the half after incurring back-to-back technicals following a disputed foul call.
There were eight more lead changes as the momentum seesawed in the third before New Orleans finished the frame on a 15-6 spree, capped by McGowen’s long trey at the buzzer, which gave the Pelicans a 105-97 cushion.
Portland scored the first two buckets of the fourth to trim the gap to 105-101 before New Orleans unleashed a 21-4 tear to end the Blazers’ hopes.
The Pelicans continued to keep their foot down, the buffer swelling to 136-111 on a Jeremiah Fears drive.
