Pelicans 96 - 103 Trail Blazers
Final
  for this game

Hornets visit Blazers in Rose City

Feb 16, 2011 - 4:18 PM (Sports Network) - The slumping New Orleans Hornets will finish a quick two- game western road trip tonight by visiting the Portland Trail Blazers in Rip City.

New Orleans has lost eight of its last 10 games and dropped from third to fifth in the Western Conference playoff hunt.

The club's latest setback came on Tuesday in Oakland when Monta Ellis led a balanced attack with 21 points, as the Golden State Warriors took down the Hornets, 102-89.

David West finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Hornets, while Marco Belinelli chipped in 15 points off the bench. Chris Paul was limited to 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting in defeat.

"We haven't played at a high enough level defensively to compete," West said.

The Blazers, who are opening up a five-game homestand tonight, have won five straight and climbed to sixth in the West after a 95-81 drubbing of Minnesota in the Twin Cities on Monday. Wesley Matthews led all scorers with 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in that one.

LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 21 points, six boards and five assists for Portland, which has dominated the Timberwolves of late, sweeping the four-game season series and winning 16 straight overall.

Dante Cunningham turned in a solid effort, setting career highs with 18 points and 13 boards in the victory.

"We wanted to take advantage of Dante's speed and energy. We were certainly quicker with him and he played big tonight," Portland head coach Nate McMillan said.

The Blazers haven't won six in a row since Nov. 6-14, 2009.

New Orleans has won three of the past four in the series, including two meetings this season. The Hornets have won three in a row at the Rose Garden.






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