Anthony Davis injures left knee in Pelicans' loss at Portland: Final score, stats, analysis

PORTLAND, Ore. -- New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis left in the first quarter of Tuesday's 103-93 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center with a left knee injury.

Davis exited after bumping knees with Portland forward Maurice Harkless with seven minutes left in the first quarter and didn't return. He finished with two points and a rebound.

The team indicated Davis might have tweaked his knee before the game. He underwent an MRI at the arena, which came back negative, though he is experiencing soreness. Davis will be listed as day-to-day heading into Thursday's game at Sacramento.

Center DeMarcus Cousins led the Pelicans (1-3) with a game-high 39 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.

C.J. McCollum led the way for the Trail Blazers (3-1) with 23 points and four rebounds, while Damian Lillard added 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Tuesday's win extended Portland's winning streak in home openers to 17 games. 

Offensive breakdown: Despite losing Davis in the first quarter, the Pelicans remained engaged and managed to go into halftime holding a one-point lead. Cousins led the way after two quarters with 13 points, and New Orleans did a good job of moving the ball and keeping the Portland defense off balance. The Pelicans had nine players score at least one basket in the first quarter and registered an assist on 11 of the team's 16 field goals. With Davis out, Cousins put the team on his shoulders. He accounted for 22 of the team's 25 points in the third quarter and helped New Orleans maintain its lead heading into the final period. Despite falling behind by double digits at one point, the Pelicans kept fighting in the fourth quarter and trailed by one point. But Cousins' fatigue limited his effectiveness down the stretch, and the team couldn't find enough scoring from its role players to get over the hump. Grade: C

Defensive breakdown: The Pelicans' game plan was all about limiting Lillard and McCollum. While they did a good job of that in the first half, Portland's role players kept it in the game. The Trail Blazers' bench scored 34 of the team's 47 points in the first half. Portland shot only 37.5 percent from the field in the first half, but it found ways to score by pounding the Pelicans on the offensive boards. The Blazers had 13 offensive rebounds at the half and scored 17 points on second-chance opportunities. McCollum eventually got things going in the final period, scoring 12 points in the first five minutes. The Blazers went on an 11-0 run midway in the fourth quarter to regain momentum. Grade: B 

By the numbers: Cousins scored 18 points in the third quarter. ... Lillard and McCollum were held to a combined 12 points through the first three quarters. ... No Pelicans player other than Cousins had more than 15 points. ... The Pelicans were outrebounded 63-41.

Cousins' return: The Pelicans close their three-game road trip at the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night. It'll be Cousins' first time returning to Sacramento since his trade to New Orleans last season.

Up next: Pelicans at Sacramento, Thursday; Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers, Thursday. 

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Will Guillory can be reached at [email protected] or 504.258.5344. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WillGuillory.