The Portland Trail Blazers (11 - 15) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (6 - 18) 105 - 101 on Monday night. In a tightly contested game, the Blazers simply made more plays late than the Pelicans to pull out a big win. The teams both shot 44 percent from the field, but the big differences were on the glass and the ball movement. The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Pelicans 50 - 41 and outassisted them 28 to 15. The starting units were also a difference - maker, as Portland’s starters scored 73 points to New Orleans 58 points. The Pelicans have had a rough season and the defense continues to let them down. They still rank dead - last in points allowed and struggle at rebounding as well. They are also 1 - 12 on the road this season, so that doesn’t help their cause much either. Anthony Davis led the team with 28 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in the loss. Tyreke Evans also had another impressive outing, as he tallied 19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals. The talent is clearly there, but they simply need to play better defense if they want to win some games. New Orleans will play the offensively - challenged Utah Jazz on Wednesday and will look to get their defense going then. The Blazers continue to be led by point guard Damian Lillard and he is single - handedly carrying this team to victories right now. Tonight, he dropped 30 points while making 11 - of - 12 free throws. Mason Plumlee also had a great game, as he tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists in the win. This is what they need, as the frontcourt has been subpar all season. This is an exciting team to watch with their guard - play, but it's not the recipe to win NBA games when they have no dominant post presence. Portland will look to build off this win when they play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
["PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Davis') has 5 Assists ,has 28 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Tyreke Evans') has 5 Assists ,has 19 Blocks ,has 12 Free throws attempted ,has 4 Free throws made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Mason Plumlee') has 6 Assists ,has 15 Blocks ,has 13 Free throws attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Damian Lillard') has 12 Assists ,has 11 Blocks ,has 30 Free throws attempted ."]