Trail Blazers @ Pelicans Takeaways
Chrissy Smith • November 5, 2024
Team Stats
(Trail Blazers @ Pelicans)
Final Score: 118-100
Rebounds: 38-34
Assists: 21-24
Blocks: 5-3
Steals: 10-5
Turnovers: 11-12
Stat Leaders
(Trail Blazers/Pelicans)
Scoring Leaders: Anfernee Simons, 24; Brandon Ingram, 27
Rebound Leaders: Deandre Ayton, 13; Yves Missi, 7
Assist Leaders: Scoot Henderson, 5; Jose Alvarado, 6
My Player of the Game: Brandon Ingram
Takeaways
- Considering the Pelicans were without four starters, the home team put on a good showing, hanging with the Trail Blazers until the fourth quarter.
- Brandon Ingram is having a great start to the season.
- Zion Williamson was out for the second game in a row and wasn't even in the building for this game. He was told my his doctors to "stay home" for Monday's game.
- The Pelicans have to get healthy soon before they get too far in the hole in the Western Conference. Last season, the difference between fourth place and eighth place was decided by four games so the early stretch right now is important.
- Brandon Boston Jr. is playing on a 10-day contract and he's proving himself to be worthy of that with some great minutes lately. In this game, he scored 20 points.
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Twenty years ago, the city of New Orleans was forever changed. The "Rebirth" game when the Superdome reopened after Hurricane Katrina was more than a football game already. However, when Steve Gleason blocked the first punt of the game and it was returned for a touchdown, everyone in the building knew it was over.

BATON ROUGE -- No. 11 LSU did exactly what it was supposed to do Saturday night — and then some. The Tigers dominated McNeese from the opening whistle, rolling to a 63-14 victory inside Tiger Stadium while putting together one of the most productive offensive performances in school history. LSU finished with 731 yards of total offense , the second-most in a single game in program history. The Tigers also ran 101 offensive plays, setting a new school record. For head coach Lane Kiffin, though, the night was about more than piling up points against an FCS opponent. Kiffin Wants LSU Playing Its Standard LSU led 35-0 at halftime and had every reason to take its foot off the gas. Kiffin chose not to. When asked about using a running clock in the second half, Kiffin said LSU needed to continue playing its game. “You play the game and we decide when the game’s over, by the way that we play, and how physical that we play,” Kiffin said. That mentality showed up throughout the night. Even with the game firmly in hand, LSU continued to play with energy and gave plenty of younger players valuable snaps. Kiffin said the number of plays was particularly important because the Tigers will need that depth during the stretch ahead. “A lot of snaps for guys,” Kiffin said. “The goal was to get (that up) to evaluate those guys because they are going to need to play with the injuries we have down the stretch.” Offense Finds Plenty of Contributors Quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 18 of 23 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns, while Corey Barber Jr. caught two touchdown passes. The running game was just as impressive. Harlem Berry rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Stacy Gage added 110 yards and two touchdowns. Five different Tigers — Berry, Dilin Jones, Gage, Landen Clark and freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds — scored rushing touchdowns. Geralds' touchdown was particularly memorable. Kiffin joked afterward that he had checked with LSU historian and former Tiger Anthony “Booger” McFarland to determine whether anyone had previously recorded a sack and offensive touchdown in the same game. Kiffin said Geralds now holds the record outright. After a 35-6 victory over Texas A&M last week, LSU has now put together back-to-back dominant performances. The competition gets much tougher from here. But Saturday night showed that LSU has plenty of players capable of making plays — and Kiffin is making sure they understand the standard doesn't change simply because the opponent does. LSU is 4-1 and now turns its attention to Kentucky next Saturday on the road.

