Blazers crushed by Murphy, Pels 127-110

New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) shoots a three point basket against Portland Trail Blazers forward Trendon Watford (2) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Sunday, March 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Damian Lillard sat out with calf tightness, and the Trail Blazers suffered without him, trailing by as many as 39 points in an eventual 127-110 loss on Sunday in New Orleans.

Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III caught fire for a career-high 41 points to lead the home team, including nine made 3-pointers on 14 attempts.

Portland concludes the six-game road trip with a 2-4 mark with wins at Orlando and Detroit, a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer in Philadelphia, and decisive defeats in Atlanta, Boston, and New Orleans.

At 31-37 overall, the Blazers sit 13th among 15 teams in the Western Conference. They are two games back of a group of teams tied for the 9-seed, and three games back of both Minnesota and Dallas who are tied for the 7-seed with a mark at .500 (34-34).

14 games remain in the regular season.

The Blazers host the Knicks on Tuesday night to begin a stretch of playing eight of their next nine games at Moda Center.