(AP) — Trey Murphy III will be looking to continue a contest that left him hotter than lava as the streaky New Orleans Pelicans visit the struggling Portland Trail Blazers Monday night.
Murphy buried a career-best 10 3-pointers in just 12 tries and scored 32 points in Saturday’s 131-110 loss to host Los Angeles Clippers. Brandon Ingram also scored 32 points as the Pelicans won their fourth straight game.
The sight of the Trail Blazers will please Murphy, who scored a career-best 41 points and netted nine 3-pointers in New Orleans’ 127-110 home win over Portland on March 12. He was 13 years old out of a total of 20 from the field.
“I just see his confidence rising and rising,” Ingram said after the win in Los Angeles. “He’s the best marksman on the team.”
Murphy is 37-of-70 (52.9 percent) from 3-point range during the last seven games for New Orleans (37-37), which sits in eighth place in the Western Conference. The Pelicans are one game out of the top 6 playoffs with eight games remaining.
“Trey shot the cover off the ball,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “And it was good to see him taking shot after shot after shot. He’s capable, our team is capable and that’s the standard we want to play to.”
Murphy lost a 3-point deficit behind CJ McCollum’s club mark but helped New Orleans break a team record of 21 in a game.
Despite being without Zion Williamson in their last 37 games, the Pelicans are clicking at a crucial time.
New Orleans came out on top during the winning streak, averaging 21.3 points.
Before the 21-point win over the Clippers in the opener of a four-game journey, the Pelicans won by margins of 10, 35 and 19 points. They scored at least 115 points in all four wins.
Portland (32-42), meanwhile, are out of contention for a play-in spot with eight losses in their past nine games. Trouble continued as the undermanned Trail Blazers lost 118-112 to visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
Damian Lillard (Wade) missed his second straight game amid speculation the club could shut him down for the season. Fellow starters Jusuf Nurkic (knee), Jerami Grant (quads) and Anfernee Simons (foot) also sat out while Trendon Watford (ankle) departed in the first quarter and did not return.
Rookie Shaedon Sharpe hit a career-high 29 points in his third straight game with 20 points or more. He scores an average of 25.7 points over the course.
Nassir Little played 31 minutes off the bench and scored a season-best 28 points while impressing coach Chauncey Billups.
“What I love most are the extra effort plays that he makes — an offensive rebound here, a defensive rebound here and there,” Billups said afterwards. “I know he can shoot. He’s one of the best shooters on our team so it was nice to see him really take off.”
Little, a fourth-year pro, has had eight total points in his last three games in 3-of-14 shooting. But he was full of confidence as he made 11 of 21 shots against the Thunder.
“When guys go down, there are more opportunities,” Little said. “So, whatever situation Coach put me in, you just take advantage of it. My mindset needs to change – they’re going to ask me to score a little bit more and that’s something I’m capable of, so I don’t feel like I’m trying to show something they don’t know I can.”
The Pelicans are 2-1 against the Trail Blazers this season and have won five of their last six games.
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