CLOSE SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick breaks down the Pelicans' shocking sweep of the Trail Blazers and the rest of Saturday's NBA playoff action. USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) celebrates during the second half in game three of the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Smoothie King Center. (Photo: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)

When C.J. McCollum made a recent visit on USA TODAY Sports’ NBA A to Z podcast, the fifth-year Portland guard made a valid point about the lack of accountability in sports media.

“I don’t like…the fact that everyone’s not always held accountable for predictions that go wrong,” said McCollum, who graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in journalism. “There’s just that dynamic that I don’t always like, because I think we should all be held accountable for what we say.”

Little did he know at the time how ironic his words would be. As it turns out, we were dead wrong about these Blazers.

The third-seeded Trail Blazers were swept by sixth-seeded New Orleans in their first-round playoff series on Saturday at the Smoothie King Center, where they fell 131-123 in Game 4 and thus proved seemingly every prognosticator wrong in the process. Not only did all four of USA TODAY Sports’ experts pick Portland, but all 22 of ESPN’s writers and all six from CBS Sports did as well. The Washington Post and The Action Network, however, got it right.

More NBA

The Pelicans, who are likely headed toward a second-round matchup with the defending champion Golden State Warriors (they’re up 3-0 on San Antonio), were carried by Anthony Davis (47 points on 15 of 24 shooting, 11 rebounds) and Jrue Holiday (41 points on 15 of 23 shooting, eight assists) and Rajon Rondo (16 assists). What’s more, they made plenty of history along the way.

New Orleans became the first No. 6 seed (or lower) to sweep its first-round series since the NBA switched from its best-of-five format in 2003.

The Blazers, who could surely reevaluate their future plans now that they’ve been upset in such stunning fashion, have now lost 10 consecutive playoff games.

McCollum did his part on the offensive end, scoring 38 points on 15 of 22 shooting. But fellow backcourt mate Damian Lillard, it’s safe to say, will face all sorts of scrutiny for the way his season came to an end. In the four games, Lillard averaged 18.5 points (35.2% shooting overall, 30% from three-point range) to go with 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and four turnovers.

The Pelicans, who lost DeMarcus Cousins to a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in late January, led 58-56 at halftime but pulled away with a 42-point third quarter that included Davis scoring 19 points. The sixth-year big man was spectacular in the series, averaging 33 points (57% shooting), 12 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals. Holiday, who has been one of the under-the-radar standouts so far, was right there with him (27.8 points points per on 56.8% shooting to go with 6.5 assists, four rebounds and 1.3 steals).

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter.</s>Four quick games and, just like that, the clock ran out on the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA playoffs. Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday took down the Blazers in a stunning upset to become the first team through to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Davis set a playoff career-high with 47 points and 12 rebounds in the 131-123 Game 4 win to take the series, 4-0, and upset the No. 3-seed Trail Blazers team some expected to be a tough out in the Western Conference this season.

While “Playoff Rondo” frustrated Portland in the first half and facilitated the offense with 16 assists, it was Holiday and Davis who found the bottom of the net. The duo combined for 88 points on Saturday and made it seem like, even when it got close in the end, the relentless offensive attack would prevail in front of a raucous NOLA crowd.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/987812601148030976

There was a lot more where this came from, too.

Davis finished inside early and often, and Holiday continued to keep shooting the lights out, adding 41 points of his own in the win. Every time Portland got close, the duo would come up with a big shot to keep them at arm’s length.</s>Anthony Davis (47) and Jrue Holiday (41) combined to score 88 points as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 131-123 on Saturday, finishing off a surprising first-round sweep.

Davis and Holiday were excellent all series, but took it to another level in Game 4 to help the Pelicans hold off a Blazers team that refused to quit. First it was Davis, who scored 19 in the third quarter to put New Orleans up by as many as 15. Then, as Portland made its comeback, Holiday scored 14 in the fourth to ensure that the Pelicans never surrendered the lead.

The Pelicans will likely face the Warriors in the next round, as Golden State has a 3-0 series lead on the Spurs.</s>(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld). New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) goes to the basket during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers in New Orleans, Saturday, April 21, 2018.

(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld). New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in New Orleans, Saturday, April 21, 2018.

(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld). New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic (27) as he drives to the basket during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in New Or...

(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld). New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, top, slam-dunks over Portland Trail Blazers center Zach Collins (33) during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in New Orleans, Saturday, April ...

(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld). New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis reacts after making a 3-point shot during the first half of Game 4 of the team's first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers in New Orleans, Saturda...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Anthony Davis scored 33 of his franchise playoff-record 47 points in the second half, and the New Orleans Pelicans completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers with a 131-123 victory on Saturday.

Jrue Holiday capped his 41-point performance with an 18-foot pull-up jumper that gave the Pelicans a six-point lead with 40 seconds left.

Rajon Rondo added 16 assists, and Davis also had 11 rebounds and three blocks for New Orleans, which is moving on to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time since the NBA returned to the city 16 seasons ago.

C.J. McCollum scored 38 for the Trail Blazers, who responded to a blowout loss in Game 3 by keeping Game 4 close until the final minute. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 27, Damian Lillard added 18 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 18 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.

Lillard's difficult driving layup had just tied the game at 60 when the Pelicans briefly pulled away, going on an 11-2 run capped by Davis' 3.

Soon after, Nikola Mirotic added step-back 3. Davis, who scored 19 in the third quarter, then added a layup while falling down after a hard foul by Aminu, after which Davis flexed both biceps while still sitting on the court.

Holiday's transition 3 made it 87-72, prompting Portland to call timeout while Holiday walked slowly toward mid-court, nodding and smiling wide as he soaked in the crowd's adulation.

New Orleans led by 13 to start the fourth quarter, but Portland refused to wilt, opening the period on a 15-4 run that included Nurkic's hook shot, 20-foot jumper and dunk. McCollum's transition layup made it 104-102 with nearly nine minutes to play.

Portland got as close as a single point on Aminu's layup with 5:08 to go, but Davis responded with 12 points over the final 4:56, staring with a layup as he was fouled and a 3-pointer. Holiday scored six points during the final 2:52, starting with his 3-pointer. The pair combined for all but one of New Orleans' points during that pivotal stretch.

Leading up to Game 4, Lillard spoke of the need for the Blazers to ramp up their intensity and physicality. From the tip, it looked as though they'd done so.

In stark contrast to Game 3, when New Orleans led by 18 in the first quarter, this game was tight and testy.

Anthony and Ed Davis received double technical fouls after bumping one another following one of Anthony Davis' dunks - and that was just the beginning.

McCollum was called for a flagrant foul when he stormed into the lane behind E'Twaun Moore and grabbed the Pelicans guard by the shoulders to thwart a driving layup attempt. Moore then shoved McCollum and was assessed a technical foul.

And in the final seconds of the half, double technical were assessed to Rondo and Portland center Zach Collins after Rondo lowered his forehead into Collins' chest and Collins shoved back.

Trail Blazers: Played without 6-foot-9 forward Maurice Harkless. Coach Terry Stotts said Harkless, who'd started Game 3 when Turner was out, had a recurrence of knee soreness that had hampered him late this season. Stotts said that while Harkless was in too much pain to play, his knee did not appear to have structural damage. ... Became the first No. 3 seed to lose in the first round since Denver lost to Golden State in the 2013 playoffs. ... The Blazers fell to 6-7 in first round playoff series in which they had home-court advantage. ... McCollum was Portland's leading scorer during the series, averaging 25.3.

Pelicans: Mirotic had 10 points and 11 rebounds. ... Moore finished with 14 points. ... Captured the first playoff sweep in the franchise's 16-year history ... Committed 14 turnovers, with Holiday committing seven.

Pelicans: Prepare for a second-round series for the first time since 2008.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>NEW ORLEANS – Anthony Davis scored 33 of his franchise playoff-record 47 points in the second half, and the New Orleans Pelicans completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers with a 131-123 victory on Saturday.

Jrue Holiday capped his 41-point performance with an 18-foot pull-up jumper that gave the Pelicans a six-point lead with 40 seconds left.

Rajon Rondo added 16 assists, and Davis also had 11 rebounds and three blocks for New Orleans, which is moving on to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time since the NBA returned to the city 16 seasons ago.

C.J. McCollum scored 38 for the Trail Blazers, who responded to a blowout loss in Game 3 by keeping Game 4 close until the final minute. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 27, Damian Lillard added 18 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 18 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.

Lillard’s difficult driving layup had just tied the game at 60 when the Pelicans briefly pulled away, going on an 11-2 run capped by Davis’ 3.

Soon after, Nikola Mirotic added step-back 3. Davis, who scored 19 in the third quarter, then added a layup while falling down after a hard foul by Aminu, after which Davis flexed both biceps while still sitting on the court.

Holiday’s transition 3 made it 87-72, prompting Portland to call timeout while Holiday walked slowly toward mid-court, nodding and smiling wide as he soaked in the crowd’s adulation.

New Orleans led by 13 to start the fourth quarter, but Portland refused to wilt, opening the period on a 15-4 run that included Nurkic’s hook shot, 20-foot jumper and dunk. McCollum’s transition layup made it 104-102 with nearly nine minutes to play.

Portland got as close as a single point on Aminu’s layup with 5:08 to go, but Davis responded with 12 points over the final 4:56, staring with a layup as he was fouled and a 3-pointer. Holiday scored six points during the final 2:52, starting with his 3-pointer. The pair combined for all but one of New Orleans’ points during that pivotal stretch.

Leading up to Game 4, Lillard spoke of the need for the Blazers to ramp up their intensity and physicality. From the tip, it looked as though they’d done so.

In stark contrast to Game 3, when New Orleans led by 18 in the first quarter, this game was tight and testy.

Anthony and Ed Davis received double technical fouls after bumping one another following one of Anthony Davis’ dunks — and that was just the beginning.

McCollum was called for a flagrant foul when he stormed into the lane behind E’Twaun Moore and grabbed the Pelicans guard by the shoulders to thwart a driving layup attempt. Moore then shoved McCollum and was assessed a technical foul.

And in the final seconds of the half, double technical were assessed to Rondo and Portland centre Zach Collins after Rondo lowered his forehead into Collins’ chest and Collins shoved back.

Trail Blazers: Played without 6-foot-9 forward Maurice Harkless. Coach Terry Stotts said Harkless, who’d started Game 3 when Turner was out, had a recurrence of knee soreness that had hampered him late this season. Stotts said that while Harkless was in too much pain to play, his knee did not appear to have structural damage. … Became the first No. 3 seed to lose in the first round since Denver lost to Golden State in the 2013 playoffs. … The Blazers fell to 6-7 in first round playoff series in which they had home-court advantage. … McCollum was Portland’s leading scorer during the series, averaging 25.3.

Pelicans: Mirotic had 10 points and 11 rebounds. … Moore finished with 14 points. … Captured the first playoff sweep in the franchise’s 16-year history … Committed 14 turnovers, with Holiday committing seven.

Pelicans: Prepare for a second-round series for the first time since 2008.</s>NEW ORLEANS — Anthony Davis scored 33 of his franchise playoff-record 47 points in the second half, and the New Orleans Pelicans completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers with a 131-123 victory on Saturday.

Jrue Holiday capped his 41-point performance with an 18-foot pull-up jumper that gave the Pelicans a six-point lead with 40 seconds left.

Rajon Rondo added 16 assists, and Davis also had 11 rebounds and three blocks for New Orleans, which is moving on to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time since the NBA returned to the city 16 seasons ago.

C.J. McCollum scored 38 for the Trail Blazers, which responded to a blowout loss in Game 3 by keeping Game 4 close until the final minute. Al-Farouq Aminu scored 27, Damian Lillard added 18 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 18 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.</s>Anthony Davis scored 47 points and Jrue Holiday added 41 more as the New Orleans Pelicans completed their first-round NBA playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers 131-123 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Saturday.

Rajon Rondo nearly posted a triple-double by amassing seven points, 16 assists and seven rebounds.

C.J. McCollum led the Blazers with 38 points, while Al-Farouq Aminu contributed 27. Damian Lillard (19 points) led the rest of the starters, who scored 117 of the team's 123 points.

Both teams put on offensive clinics: New Orleans made 57.0 percent of its field goals, while Portland wasn't far behind as it hit 52.6 percent of its shots.

The difference was New Orleans' ability to get to the free-throw line, as it connected on 32 of its 39 attempts from the charity stripe (Portland went 13-of-16). The Pels also won the battle of the boards, 44-33.

After taking a 58-56 lead into halftime, the Pelicans caught fire in a 42-point third quarter, as noted by the NBA's Twitter account:

In particular, Davis scored 19 of his points in the frame:

Will Guillory of The Times-Picayune put it best:

The Pels took a 100-87 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Blazers refused go away, opening the frame on a 15-4 run to cut the New Orleans lead to just 104-102 with 8:47 remaining. The advantage got as low as one when Aminu made a layup with 5:08 left.

However, Davis and Holiday were simply too strong down the stretch, as the duo scored New Orleans' final 12 points to maintain the lead and earn the eight-point victory.

During that span, Davis had a key putback slam to give the Pels a four-point lead:

Holiday also made a clutch bucket with less than a minute remaining:

This is New Orleans' second playoff series win dating back to 2002-03. The Pels have never advanced past the conference semifinals.

For the Blazers, a strong season that featured a stellar second half and a third seed in the Western Conference playoffs ends in disappointment. Portland has now lost in the first round three times in the past four years.

New Orleans will play the winner of the Golden State Warriors vs. San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals. Currently, Golden State is up 3-0 on the Spurs and will advance to the second round with a win on Sunday.</s>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Anthony Davis sat on the court, a scowl on his face and his biceps flexed on each side of his head.

The Pelicans All-Star had just converted a layup as he fell to the court after a hard foul. His strength-projecting celebration afterward was that of a franchise player determined to lay the foundation of his playoff legacy with a dominant performance in the clutch.

"In a close-out game and then the magnitude of the situation, this is probably the best game he's played since I've been here," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "He just was not going to let us lose."

Davis scored 33 of his franchise playoff-record 47 points in the second half — including 12 points in the final five minutes — and New Orleans completed a first-round playoff sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers with a 131-123 victory on Saturday night.

"It was fun," Davis said. "It was an amazing feeling for me to go out and sweep these guys and play the way that I played."

And when Davis wasn't devastating the Blazers, Jrue Holiday was giving Portland fits with explosive drives or pull-up jumpers. Holiday capped his 41-point night with an 18-footer that gave the Pelicans a six-point lead with 40 seconds left.

Rajon Rondo had 16 assists, and Davis also had 11 rebounds and three blocks for New Orleans, which is moving on to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time since the NBA returned to the city 16 seasons ago.

Rondo has said he came to New Orleans to play with what he viewed as the best "Big Three" in the NBA — Davis, Holiday and DeMarcus Cousins. Misfortune struck Cousins in late January, when he was lost for the season to a left Achilles tear. Davis and Holiday had to raise their games, and have come through beyond expectations.

Portland never gave up, trimming a 15-point second-half deficit to a single point on Al-Farouq Aminu's layup with 5:08 to go, but Davis responded with 12 points over the final 4:56, staring with a layup as he was fouled and a 3-pointer. Holiday scored six points during the final 2:52, starting with his 3-pointer. The pair combined for all but one of New Orleans' points during that pivotal stretch.

"You put the ball in these two guys' hands and they delivered for us," Rondo said. "I couldn't ask for a better duo right now, especially at the time of the game where we needed to get the ball in the hole."

C.J. McCollum scored 38 for the Trail Blazers, who responded to a blowout loss in Game 3 by keeping Game 4 close until the final minute. Aminu scored 27, Damian Lillard added 19 points and Jusuf Nurkic had 18 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out.

The sweep represented a quick, unceremonious and somewhat surprising end to a season that saw the Blazers climb to third in the Western Conference on the strength of a recent 13-game winning streak. But Portland seemed to cool off shortly before the regular season ended, and never regained peak form.

"It's not how we envisioned it happening for us, especially getting home court," Lillard said. "We just weren't playing our best basketball like we had been during that stretch of 13 games. And then we come in here against a team that probably played their best stretch of basketball when they had to."

Trail Blazers: Played without 6-foot-9 forward Maurice Harkless. Coach Terry Stotts said Harkless, who'd started Game 3 when Turner was out, had a recurrence of knee soreness that had hampered him late this season. Stotts said that while Harkless was in too much pain to play, his knee did not appear to have structural damage. ... Became the first No. 3 seed to lose in the first round since Denver lost to Golden State in the 2013 playoffs. ... The Blazers fell to 6-7 in first round playoff series in which they had home-court advantage. ... McCollum was Portland's leading scorer during the series, averaging 25.3.

Pelicans: Nikola Mirotic had 10 points and 11 rebounds. ... Moore finished with 14 points. ... Captured the first playoff sweep in the franchise's 16-year history ... Committed 14 turnovers, with Holiday committing seven.

Leading up to Game 4, Lillard spoke of the need for the Blazers to ramp up their intensity and physicality. From the tip, it looked as though they'd done so.

In stark contrast to Game 3, when New Orleans led by 18 in the first quarter, this game was tight and testy.

Anthony and Ed Davis received double technical fouls after bumping one another following one of Anthony Davis' dunks — and that was just the beginning.

McCollum was called for a flagrant foul when he stormed into the lane behind E'Twaun Moore and grabbed the Pelicans guard by the shoulders to thwart a driving layup attempt. Moore then shoved McCollum and was assessed a technical foul.

And in the final seconds of the half, double technical were assessed to Rondo and Portland center Zach Collins after Rondo lowered his forehead into Collins' chest and Collins shoved back.

"I live for those moments," a grinning Rondo said. "I was trying to stay smart as far as not getting thrown out. ... We knew what kind of game it was, especially when Dame came out with the comments he made."

Lillard, who never scored more than 20 in the series and was held below that three times, said he would have loved to shoot more, but the Pelicans' commitment to defend him early in possessions with multiple players made it difficult.

"They came in with a great defensive game plan, threw something at us that we hadn't seen and it worked out for them," Lillard said.

Pelicans: Prepare for a second-round series for the first time since 2008.</s>Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday each achieved career playoff scoring highs as the New Orleans Pelicans held off the Portland Trail Blazers 131-123 Saturday at Smoothie King Center.

Davis scored 47 points and Holiday 41 as the Pelicans clinched the best-of-seven playoff series with a four-game sweep. Rajon Rondo dished out 16 assists to go with seven points and seven rebounds for New Orleans.

CJ McCollum had 38 points, Al-Farouq Aminu scored 27 points, Damian Lillard added 19 and Jusuf Nurkic contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Portland lost despite shooting 52.6 percent from the field and turning the ball over just six times. But the Blazers could not stop New Orleans, which shot 57 percent and assisted on 28 of their 45 baskets.

Davis and Holiday each scored 14 points and E'Twaun Moore added 12 as New Orleans took a 58-56 lead into intermission. McCollum and Aminu each had 15 points and Evan Turner 12 for the Blazers before the break.

The Pelicans scored 42 points in breaking things open in the third quarter. They hiked their advantage to 87-72 late in the quarter. The difference was 100-87 heading into the fourth quarter.

Portland scored the first five points of the final period to draw within 100-92.

Nurkic and Holiday traded baskets, and Davis' dunk gave New Orleans a 110-104 edge with seven minutes to go. Aminu hit a 3-point shot to cut it to 110-107, but Holiday scored on a drive to make it 112-107 with 6:33 to play. McCollum made a short jumper, and Aminu scored off a fast break to get Portland to within 112-111. But Davis converted a three-point play to give New Orleans a 115-111 lead with 4:56 remaining.

Nurkic made a reverse layup, but Davis drilled a 3 to make it 118-113. Lillard's jumper got the Blazers to within 118-115 with 4:07 left. Nikola Mirotic split a pair at the line to make it 119-115 with 3:51 to go. McCollum scored on a drive to cut it to 119-117, but Davis dunked a rebound for a 121-117 lead with 3:24 to play.

Turner hit a pair at the line to make it 121-119 with 3:06 left, but Holiday's 3-point shot pushed the Pelicans' lead to 124-119 with 2:44 to go. Davis made two free throws for a 126-119 edge with 2:29 remaining.

Aminu's driving layup drew Portland to within 126-121 with 1:47 remaining. Holiday made one of two foul shots to make it 127-121 with 1:09 left. McCollum's driving layup cut it to 127-123 with one minute to go, but Holiday's jumper pulled the Pelicans ahead 129-123 with 40.4 seconds left.

When Davis sank a pair at the line with 20.9 ticks on the clock, the issue was decided.

Portland jumped to a 9-3 lead. New Orleans took a 26-25 advantage into the second quarter.

The Pelicans extended the margin to 35-29, but the Blazers came back to tie it at 35-35. New Orleans carried a two-point edge into halftime.</s>NEW ORLEANS -- When DeMarcus Cousins went down with a torn Achilles in January, one of the NBA's most promising big threes was dismantled -- and it looked like the? New Orleans Pelicans' playoff hopes would crumble as well.

But the remaining big two of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday just responded with one of the greatest two-man playoff performances in NBA history to cap a stunning sweep of the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.

Davis (47 points) and Holiday (41) tied the NBA record for most points ever scored by a duo in a single game in NBA playoff history, joining John Havlicek and Jo Jo White in 1973, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.

It was one point better than Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen ever produced in a playoff game. And they joined LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as the only pair of teammates to score 40-plus points in the same playoff game in the past 18 years.

Davis and Holiday scored 28 of the Pelicans' final 29 points in the fourth quarter as New Orleans completed the sweep with a 131-123 victory.?

"Their stars really put on a show tonight," said Blazers coach Terry Stotts, whose team had valiantly cut New Orleans' 15-point lead down to one point with five minutes remaining -- to no avail.

"We put the ball in these guys' hands and they delivered for us," said Pelicans point guard Rajon Rondo, who lived up to his own "playoff Rondo" reputation with 53 assists in the four-game series.

Rondo had Davis and Holiday laughing and mocking him a bit as they sat on the postgame podium together and Rondo only ranked their performance as one of the four or five best he had seen from teammates in his career.

But Davis also credited the veteran floor general, who joined New Orleans as a free agent last summer, for constantly being in their ears this week and insisting that this is their time to "be great."

"It's a great feeling for me to go out and, like [Rondo] said, 'Build your legacy. Be great.' So it was a great time for me to show that," said Davis, who acknowledged earlier this week that it would "mean a lot" to that growing legacy to win his first playoff series after the Pelicans got swept by the Golden State Warriors in his only other postseason appearance in 2015.

"I just tried to go out every game and play to the best of my ability so I can help the team win," Davis said. "Just trying to build a legacy in New Orleans, and let people know that we're for real."

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry offered much loftier praise for Davis, who lifted his game to an MVP level while winning NBA Player of the Month in each of the past two months of the regular season.

"In a close-out game and with the magnitude of the situation, this was probably the best game he's played since I've been here," Gentry said. "He just was not gonna let us lose."

Davis was especially feeling the moment when he drained 3-pointers in both the third and fourth quarters -- one of which came after Portland had cut the lead to two points with 4:34 remaining. But his inside game was working just fine, too. He also made the Smoothie King Center erupt with an emphatic putback dunk after Portland had again cut the lead to two with 3:12 remaining.

Holiday drained a 3 of his own when Portland cut the lead to two points one final time one possession later.

Holiday has proven his worth with the best season of his nine-year career after signing a five-year, $126 million contract last summer. He also scored 33 points in Game 2 and averaged 27.8 points in the four-game series against Portland.

On the flip side was dejected Blazers star Damian Lillard, who was held to 20 points or less in every game of the series while shooting 35.2 percent against a stifling New Orleans defense that was determined to take the ball out of his hands.

Lillard and Davis embraced after the game, and Lillard showed great respect for his fellow star afterward.

"I'm sure it meant a lot. In our six years previous to this year, he had only been to the playoffs once. And they played Golden State and got swept. You know, he's had it hard," said Lillard, who was picked five spots after Davis became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft. "I couldn't imagine what it's like going all these years with not being able to compete in the postseason when you're that level of player. So I congratulate him. I wish his success hadn't come against us, but at the end of the day, as a competitor, you can't be a poor sport. You've gotta give credit where it's due."

Lillard and the Blazers have made the playoffs in each of the past five years -- but they haven't made it past the second round, and they have now been swept in the first round for the second straight year.

"I think this one probably hurt a little bit more, just because we had such a great season and we came in with really, really high expectations," Lillard said. "We expected more from ourselves, and we saw things going in a different direction than they did."
The New Orleans Pelicans became the first No. 6 seed (or lower) to sweep its first-round series since the NBA switched from its best-of-five format in 2003 after their 131–123 game 4 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Anthony Davis scored 47 points and Jrue Holiday 41 points during the win.