The Pelicans just went ahead and swept the Trail Blazers

The Pelicans are the first team to secure their second-round spot. Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday combined for 88 points.

The New Orleans Pelicans made things crystal clear: Either the Trail Blazers were going to win on the road to survive one more game, or they would lose and be swept after one of their most successful seasons in recent memory.

Portland put up a good fight, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.

Anthony Davis was outstanding, as usual. He went off for 45 points on 15-of-24 shooting to go with 12 rebound and two blocks. Jrue Holiday turned in another incredible playoff performance, lighting the Blazers up for 41 points and eight assists on 15-of-23 shooting. It was his second 30-point game this series, but that’s not where he made his money.

Holiday was the lead defensive force against Portland’s all-world back court. He helped hold Damian Lillard to just 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting in Game 4.

Holiday and Davis combined for an incredible 88 points, with Rajon Rondo chipping in seven points and 16 assists. The three-headed effort led New Orleans to a sweep of its No. 3 seeded opponent on Saturday.

Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers wasn’t without its fireworks.

First, Anthony Davis and Ed Davis shoved each other after a play.

Then, C.J. McCollum ran E’Twaun Moore down and fouled him around the neck from behind on a layup. Moore than rolls up on McCollum and shoves his elbow into his chest. Players from both teams came to separate the players, and McCollum — after it was ruled a common foul — was assessed a Flagrant 1. Moore earned a technical foul.

Finally, Zach Collins and Rajon Rondo got into a skirmish after Collins jumped on Jrue Holiday’s back for a rebound. He and Rondo got in each other’s faces. Collins shoved Rondo, and all teammates came to separate them. Double-technical fouls were assessed to each.

The Trail Blazers fought, but the Pelicans came out with the win. It was a disappointing end to an impressive season for Portland, which seized the No. 3 seed in the regular season. And for New Orleans, it was validation that a team that worked hard and played hard could survive DeMarcus Cousins’s torn Achilles and not just make the playoffs, but win a series for the first time in a decade.

4th quarter: Pelicans 121, Trail Blazers 117

3:15 — ANTHONY DAVIS PUT-BACK STUFF

4:05 — This game is crazy.

The Trail Blazers have clawed within six and are showing signs of life here early in the fourth. It’s now or never for Portland’s playoff livelihood. This one’s gonna go all the way.

3rd quarter: Pelicans 100, Trail Blazers 87

3:43 — TIMEOUT, Trail Blazers: Portland has no answer for Jrue Holiday. He’s locking down Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum on defense and has 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting on offense. He literally just dribbled up-court and pulled a 3 right in McCollum’s face. It’s a 15-point deficit now for Portland, and the clock’s ticking.

6:20 — Baby-faced Niko is back! Nikola Mirotic just hit a stepback three give the Pelicans a double-digit lead.

10:04 — Gutsy move by Terry Stotts: C.J. McCollum just picked up his fourth foul and he’s leaving his shooting guard in the game. This could make or break Portland.

HALFTIME: Pelicans 58, Trail Blazers 56

0.7 seconds — ANOTHER FIGHT

Zach Collins vs. Rajon Rondo: Who you got? Collins jumped on Jrue Holiday’s back for a rebound, then somehow, someway, he and Rondo got in each other’s faces. Collins shoved Rondo, and all teammates came to separate them. Double-technical fouls were assessed to each.

2:04 — FIIIIGHTTTTT

C.J. McCollum ran E’Twaun Moore down and fouled him around the neck from behind on a layup. Moore than rolls up on McCollum and shoves his elbow into his chest. Players from both teams came to separate the players, and McCollum — after it was ruled a common foul — was assessed a Flagrant 1. Moore earned a technical foul.

3:50 — Another three for Al-farouq Aminu, he has 13 points in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting from deep.

4:13 — TIMEOUT: The Pelicans have a lot more options than they appeared to have in the regular season. Davis is a monster. Jrue Holiday’s reminded the world he has the juice. But when those two aren’t cooking, New Orleans is somehow manufacturing offense. That’s in part thanks to Rajon Rondo, who has five points and eight assists before halftime. But New Orleans is making shots at a 60 percent clip from the field.

The Trail Blazers can’t possibly hope to win allowing that kind of efficient shooting.

Still not sure how C.J. McCollum is this icy:

7:00 — Anthony Davis just caught an alley-oop and dunked all over Zach Collins. Things are getting chippy now, though, and AD just picked up an offensive foul.

8:00 — TIMEOUT: Portland 35, New Orleans 35

Evan Turner just hit a three to tie things up (yes, you read that correctly), and things are knotted up. It’s surprising that this is a tie game because the momentum seems to be fully swinging in the Pelicans’ direction.

9:15 — JRUE HOLIDAY JUST BROKE C.J. McCOLLUM ALL THE WAY DOWN! MY LORD

11:00 — Why is C.J. McCollum so damn icy? He just did some smooth in-and-out move before finishing at the rim with his off hand. How does he do it?!

End of 1st quarter: Pelicans 26, Trail Blazers 25

The Trail Blazers are sorta kinda playing like a team with its back against the wall, because, well, they are. They’re in a 0-3 deficit and could be the first team sent home in this series. It’s a hole no team has dug itself out of before, but Portland’s going to try to defy the odds.

They’re off to an OK start here in Game 4, but Anthony Davis is locking the paint down, and he’s doing it without committing fouls. The man has three blocks in the first quarter alone. He’s a machine, and this machine wants to make the first second-round playoff appearance of its career.

Anthony Davis has three blocks in the first quarter alone. He can’t be stopped.

3:00 — THE BLOCK BY THE BROW

Anthony Davis just absolutely punished Ed Davis’s two-footer flip-up shot that would have otherwise been a bucket. That’s gotta be demoralizing.

How did Rondo find him?!

The New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to make history of sorts when they host the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of their first-round NBA playoff series at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (5 p.m. ET, TNT).

The Pelicans have taken advantage or Portland in this series, up 3-0, and with a win on Saturday would be the first No. 6 seed to sweep a best-of-7 playoff series. The 1978 Bucks beat the Suns 2-0 in a best-of-3 series, and the 2001 Hornets beat the Heat 3-0 in a best-of-5.

But New Orleans can be the first six seed to sweep a best-of-7 series, if Anthony Davis keeps doing his thing. Davis is averaging 28.3 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in this series, and has been a force on both ends of the floor.

Davis hasn’t been alone. Jrue Holiday is playing excellent defense and scoring 23.3 points per game, and Nikola Mirotic is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds. Mirotic, acquired from the Bulls at the Feb. 1 trade deadline, poured in a game-high 30 in New Orleans’ 119-102 win on Thursday night that gave the Pelicans a commanding series lead.

“I knew I was capable to have games like this, but I never want to force any shots and always want to play simple, play for my teammates the same way they play for me,” Mirotic told the Associated Press. “I just want to show them they were right to bring me here.”

Pelicans vs. Trail Blazers Game 4 info

Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

Game time: 5 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Announcers: Ian Eagle, Brent Barry and Jaime Maggio

Online streaming: Watch TNT