Blazers handle short-handed Pelicans, 118-100

It took most of the evening, but the Portland Trail Blazers finally defeated the injury-plagued New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, winning 118-100. The obviously tired Pelicans, who played the night before and bowed out late at 8:30 p.m. local time, ran out of energy in the fourth period and the Blazers danced past them to claim an easy victory that seemed in doubt for a while. Let's dive in.

Blazer of the Game: Toumari Camara. He hit crucial shots and broke through the defense, scoring 16 points with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block. It doesn't count as a breakout game, but that's partly because this type of game is becoming more common for him. Honorable mention to Dalano Bantonwho scored 20 points with a lot of energy and hot shooting and gave the Blazers the lead in the fourth quarter.

Stats of the game: The Blazers' lead on the season is 66-38 points. Since the Pelicans lacked real interior defense, the Blazers took advantage of constant attacks to the basket and relatively easy shots.

What we will remember: New Orleans is over. The Blazers and Pelicans played three times in nine days, so fans of both teams were ready to see any other team. And thanks to the randomness of circumstances, the Blazers have won two of the three, meaning the Pelicans have given them 66.7% of their overall wins.

Box score

Next up: Victor Wembanyana and Spurs. The Blazers get a few days off before heading to San Antonio on Thursday. In the meantime, stay tuned to know more about today's game.