Live from the Moda Center as the Portland Trail Blazers host the New Orleans Pelicans.

LaMarcus Aldridge is back! He was questionable coming into tonight, but it looks like he’ll give it a go. That’s great news, but we were one more sick day away from the greatest matchup of all time: Anthony Davis versus Meyers Leonard. Just typing those two names next to each other almost made me weep with joy.

Davis should need no introduction. Dude is a legit MVP candidate and, with Kevin Durant sidelined, arguably the second-best player in the league. The Brow is averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 4.1 blocks this season. For those keeping track, those numbers rank fifth, second, fourth, and first in the league. He’s like going through the buffet line for a third time even though you’re already full.

Not impressed by the Brow: Damian Lillard. Dame edged out an injured Davis for Rookie of the Year, holds a 4-3 head-to-head edge, and uses tweezers like a boss. Lillard is coming off his first Western Conference Player of the Week award, averaging 28.0 points, 8.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.33 steals over Portland’s last three wins. Davis may have made Team USA over Lillard but he’s never been named a Player of the Week, and weekly recognition is clearly greater than national glory.

I’m so excited to see the Brow tonight, I’ve been partaking in No-Pluck November. These caterpillars are somewhere between Sandy Cohen and Bert. Let’s do this!

PRE-GAME:
The Pelicans were last seen thrashing the Minnesota Timberwolves by nearly fifty points, and are edging their way into playoff consideration. If any team from last year’s top eight in the West falls out—looking at you, Oklahoma City—the Pelicans should be next in line. Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson are both back and finally healthy, and the addition of Omer Asik has done wonders for their interior defense. If Eric Gordon and his 5.5 (!!!) PER ever remembers how to play the sport of basketball, watch out.

Portland is trying for their fifth-straight tonight, but they’ll once again be without Nicolas Batum. His defense on Tyreke Evans would have been a welcome addition, but the knee just isn’t quite healed up yet. Portland won’t play again until Friday—he should be ready to give it a go by then.

Good news for the Blazers: Omer Asik is going to miss tonight's game with back pain. Alexis Ajinca will get the start in his place. That's huge, considering how well Asik played Aldridge on defense during last year's playoffs.

FIRST QUARTER:
11:44 - The Blazers send it right into Wesley Matthews in the post on their first possession. Eric Gordon has no hope of guarding him down there. 2-0 Blazers.

10:10 - Lillard missed a little runner in the lane, but he was able to secure his own rebound over Anthony Davis. Take that, second-highest rebounder! Lillard didn't miss a second time. 6-0 Blazers.

9:29 - The Brow's length has been giving Aldridge trouble—LaMarcus missed an easy bank shot near the rim, presumably because Davis was there contesting. Robin Lopez was able to dig out the offensive board, dish to Aldridge, and Aldridge finally got one to fall. Timeout New Orleans. 8-0 Blazers.

7:47 - Well, that timeout for the Pellies did its job. They've tied things up here after Eric Gordon rattled home a three. 9-9 Tie.

7:10 - Luke Babbitt with a nice ovation as he checks in for New Orleans. At least the fans show him some respect—the official game notes have his name spelled incorrectly. 11-9 Blazers.

5:20 - Yeah, so this Davis guy? He's pretty good. Allen Crabbe had a breakaway, and Davis was able to recover and swat away his dunk attempt from behind. 13-13 Tie.

3:41 - I'm not sure if you'll believe this, but Chris Kaman can't guard Anthony Davis. 17-15 Pelicans.

1:29 - The Blazers offense is a complete mess right now—they can't get into any sort of set, and are turning the ball over on every other possession. At least the defense is holding strong. 20-17 Pelicans.

1:00 - And there's Chris Kaman to pick up an and one as the shot clock expired. 20-20 Tie.

0:00 - If anyone is wondering, Chris Kaman is not Kevin Love. He secured a rebound and Portland could have held for the last shot, but he tried to fire a seventy foot outlet pass instead and turned it over. Not the best look to end the quarter. 22-21 Blazers.

SECOND QUARTER:
10:39 - Once again, both Steve Blake and Chris Kaman are keeping the Blazers afloat with the starters on the bench. Despite the bad turnover to end the first, Kaman has nine points on the night and leads all scorers thus far. 26-23 Blazers.

7:30 - I think both coaches got sick of watching Jeff Withey and Joel Freeland—there was some ugly basketball happening on the court, and here come Anthony Davis and LaMarcus Aldridge to help pretty things up. 30-27 Blazers.

6:42 - Chris Kaman contested an Anthony Davis shot at the rim, and Davis missed. As the ball rolled off the rim, the refs decided to call a foul. I mean, there's no way Davis would have missed otherwise, right? It's Kaman we're talking about here. 30-30 Tie.

4:54 - Allen Crabbe with the two-handed jump pass...into the fifth row. That missed the mark by at least four feet. I hope everyone in the crowd is okay... 35-35 Tie.

2:45 - Ten turnovers so far for the Blazers, who are being sloppy with the ball. Credit to New Orleans, though—they are getting their hands into every passing lane and are blowing up Portland's set plays. 43-37 Pelicans.

2:18 - Maybe Portland just needed a quick timeout. They ran a pretty play to get Dame the easiest look at the rim he'll have all night. 45-39 Pelicans.

1:32 - Oh my. Anthony Davis just blocked an Aldridge jumper (one of the only players in the league that can make that claim), and then recovered and blocked Matthews as he attempted put it up to beat the shot clock. Unreal. 49-39 Pelicans.

0:00 - Damian Lillard bailed the Blazers out headed into half, taking it to the hoop and hitting an acrobatic and one over Austin Rivers. If not for that play, the end of the second quarter couldn't have gone any worse. 49-42 Pelicans.

THIRD QUARTER:
11:01 - Anthony Davis, man. He contested an Aldridge jumper, got switched onto Lillard and bottled him up on a pick and roll, and hit a fifteen footer on the offensive end. He's too freaking good. 51-42 Pelicans.

9:20 - Well, this quarter could have started better. The Blazers need time after Eric Gordon drained a corner three. 58-44 Pelicans.

8:36 - Portland just got completely turned around on a pick and roll, and it ended up with Davis dishing to Alexis Ajinca for a wide open dunk. And then Portland immediately turned it over. Things do not look good. 60-46 Pelicans.

7:33 - The Blazers finally force a stop...but forget to corral the rebound. Tyreke Evans grabbed his own miss, and passed to a cutting Ajinca for an easy bucket. 64-49 Pelicans.

7:07 - Dame for three! Let's see if this crowd can get anything going. 64-52 Pelicans.

4:59 - Wesley Matthews ended up with Anthony Davis switched onto him, and he couldn't get rid of the ball fast enough. Matthews didn't even think about looking at the rim. I can't do the Brow justice—he's owning this entire court. 68-58 Pelicans.

2:51 - When Tyreke Evans is hitting pullup threes, you know it's not your night. 77-62 Pelicans.

1:49 - Ho hum, putback dunk for Anthony Davis. 79-64 Pelicans.

0:00 - Dame had Jrue Holiday one on one to end the quarter, drove the lane and missed, but Chris Kaman was there to knock it in as time expired. The lead is only twelve but this just doesn't feel like Portland's night. 80-68 Pelicans.

FOURTH QUARTER:
10:22 - Alexis Ajinca stuffed Dame on one end, then grabbed an offensive rebound and sunk the putback jumper. Yeah, this isn't Portland's night. 83-68 Pelicans.

8:57 - Huh, so after five straight Portland points, Robin Lopez put on a defensive show. He blocked a shot, deflected a pass, and hit the deck going for a loose ball. A foul was called on Davis, and the crowd is loving it. More of that, please. 83-73 Pelicans.

8:39 - CJ McCollum for three! There's life in this building yet! 83-76 Pelicans.

7:24 - Anthony Davis missed! He's mortal after all! The Blazers got a stop, and Aldridge hit on the other end. This crowd is feeling it. 85-80 Pelicans.

6:03 - The Blazers forced a miss, drove quickly down the court, and Steve Blake found Robin Lopez camped under the basket for an easy basket plus the foul. After this timeout, Lopez will have a chance to make this a two point game. I don't even. 87-84 Pelicans.

3:32 - Portland is right there...they just can't quite get over the hump. They've had a couple of good looks, including a Wesley Matthews three that would have given them the lead, but so far New Orleans has been able to keep their lead in tact. After Aldridge hit two freebies, this is now just a one point game. 89-88 Pelicans.

2:57 - Dame missed from deep, Lopez grabbed the rebound and kicked to an open Matthews behind the arc...swish! We're all tied up! 91-91 Tie.

2:21 -Forget everything I said at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth. The Blazers are now leading this game. Timeout New Orleans. 93-31 Blazers.

1:29 - Jrue the Damaja with two offensive rebounds in a row, both off of his own misses. He finally picked up a foul for his trouble, as Dame was busted trying to sneak around and pick his pocket. After two free throws, this one is all tied up again. 93-93 Tie.

1:14 - Dame for three! That one was good all the way. 96-93 Blazers.

0:29 - Two free throws for Lopez! He has been EVERYWHERE this quarter. Timeout New Orleans. 98-93 Blazers.

0:15 - Jrue had a good look from deep but missed. The Pelicans were able to secure the rebound, but Anthony Davis missed his shot from distance. Aldridge grabbed that board, was fouled, and managed to sink both of his freebies. Chalupas! 100-93 Blazers.

FINAL: 102-93 Blazers. Yeah, the Blazers just outscored the Pelicans 34-13 in the fourth. Despite a Herculean effort from Anthony Davis, the Blazers somehow fought their way back into this one. Do the Blazers have that "champion" switch now? Can they just turn it on to close games out? It sure seems that way after the last couple of here at home.