Henderson, Plumlee play key roles as Blazers quell Pelicans

Published 12:00 am Monday, December 14, 2015

Much of New Orleans’ defensive focus was on Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum Monday night at Moda Center.

So the Trail Blazers got some help from other sources — most notably a pair of Dukees.

Gerald Henderson came off the bench for 19 points and center Mason Plumlee contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds and equalled his season high with six assists in Portland’s 105-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Lillard still had a big game, scoring 21 of his 30 points in the second half, and McCollum chipped in 16 points and provided the game’s biggest defensive play for the Blazers (11-15), who had lost three of their previous four games.

But the performances of Henderson and Plumlee went a long way toward giving Portland its second win in 10 games decided by five points or fewer this season.

Henderson missed the first eight games this season after recovering from offseason hip surgery. The 6-5 veteran came into the game averaging 6.4 points; Monday’s output was only his third in double figures this season.

The seventh-year pro out of Duke, who played his previous six NBA seasons with Charlotte, was 7 for 10 from the field — including 4 for 5 from 3-point range — in a sterling 21-minute showing. He matched his career high with the four made 3’s.

“It was good to see him get on a roll,” Portland Coach Terry Stotts said. “His minutes have been up and down, but he has always been ready. He is capable of doing that.”

Henderson was modest about his contributions.

“Damian and CJ attract so much attention, all of us benefit from it when they draw two defenders, drive and kick out,” he said. “There’s going to be somebody open.”

Henderson entered the season as a career .309 shooter from beyond the stripe. He is 15 for 33 (.455) on treys this season.

“Those are shots I feel I can make,” he said. “I’ve been on the end of a lot of good passes; I’m just sticking them in there.”

Plumlee had perhaps his best all-around performance of the season. The 6-11 Duke grad did a little bit of everything, grabbing five offensive rebounds, blocking two shots and jamming twice after lob passes from McCollum.

“The rebounding was very important, that and his passing,” Stotts said. “His offensive feel, his passing, rolling to the basket, finishing at the rim. … he was instrumental in a lot what we did tonight.”

Plumlee’s passing, including his patented bounce pass on the backdoor play, has been a major weapon this season.

“I want to take advantage of his passing abilities,” Stotts said. “I think we have more backdoors already this season than we have in the last three years. His teammates are aware to cut to the basket when he gets the ball out top. I want to use him out on the floor, in the post, in pick-and-roll situations.”

Lillard said the Blazers have grown to rely on Plumlee.

“It’s the same thing every night with him,” Lillard said. “He rebounds, he protects the rim, and sometimes he’ll push it up and make a play. A lot of times he’s the guy diving down the middle of the paint, catching tough passes and making the play.

“It makes us guards comfortable, knowing we can pass the ball to somebody we can trust. He’ll catch the ball and make the right play.”

On paper, New Orleans should have been easy fodder for the Blazers at home. The Pelicans (6-18) began the night with the second-worst record in the Western Conference, last in the NBA in opponents’ scoring, 28th in opponents’ field-goal percentage and 29th in opponents’ 3-point percentage.

The Blazers could never shake them, though, despite grabbing an 85-72 lead with 9:29 remaining.

Anthony Davis (28 points, nine rebounds), Tyreke Evans (19 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals) and Jrue Holiday (19 points, five rebounds) all had big games for the Pelicans, who trailed 101-97 and had the ball after Plumlee was called for charging with 32.6 seconds to play.

But McCollum — who was defending Evans on the possession — wound up guarding Holiday. When Holiday set to launch a 3-point attempt from the side, McCollum stripped him and retrieved the ball.

“CJ busts through a double screen and comes up with the block,” Stotts said. “That was a really positive possession.”

Lillard then made four straight at the line to wrap things up for Portland.

The Blazers now embark on a five-game, eight-day road trip that begins Wednesday night at Oklahoma City. Lillard said it’s a good sign that Henderson and Plumlee were beacons of light in the Blazers’ final home game until after Christmas.

“Everybody in this locker room is excited to see it,” Lillard said. “We’ve seen so many guys step up in different games. That shows that down the line, when we grow and put this team together a little bit more, we’ve seen what guys can do. That will pay off later.”

NOTES: New Orleans drops to 1-12 this season on the road. … The Blazers have beaten New Orleans seven times in a row overall, and 10 straight times in Portland. … Portland shot well from 3-point range (.406 on 13 for 32) but was mediocre from the field (.432). … The Blazers had 28 assists on 35 baskets. … Plumlee notched his seventh double-double of the season. … The Blazers play 11 of 17 games in December on the road. McCollum would prefer to be at home more around the holidays. “The NBA didn’t do us any favors,” he said. “Going to have to talk to Mr. (Adam) Silver (the commissioner) about switching out January and December for us next year.” … Lillard made a smart defensive play, fouling Davis on his way to a dunk late in the third quarter. Davis then missed one of the ensuing two gift shots. “Making a guy make two free throws is different than letting him drop it in for free,” Lillard said. “That’s one of the things we have to be better at. We have to be a team that isn’t fun to play against. We have to take pride in doing the small things.”

Portland guard Allen Crabbe missed his first six shots from the field, including five from 3-point range. But he finished with seven points, five rebounds and a career-high five assists in 29 minutes off the bench. Crabbe is Portland’s No. 4 scorer at 9.5 points per game, shooting .490 from the field and .387 from beyond the arc. “I’ve always liked his defense,” Stotts said before the game. “He has been a pretty good defender from Day One. Now he’s playing with a lot of confidence at the offensive end. He is taking shots he has been practicing for a long time. He has been ready for the moment. He has put in two hard years of work, and has risen to the occasion.” … Stotts, on the run of close losses the Blazers have sustained: “We’ve shown we compete every night. We have a young bunch of guys who are going to come out and compete. As frustrated as we are after a loss, part of this league is, you have to bounce back. You’re going to have losing streaks. It’s how you respond to adversity that makes a difference in this league.”

keggers@portlandtribune.com

Twitter: @kerryeggers