Deni Avdija scored 26 points, Shaedon Sharpe added 21 points and the Portland Trail Blazers led wire to wire in a 119-100 victory over the struggling New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. New Orleans played without power forward Zion Williamson,

Deni Avdija #8 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket against #7 of the Detroit Pistons during the first half at Little Caesars Arena on January 06, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 118-115. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Getty Images

Deni Avdija scored 26 points, Shaedon Sharpe added 21 and the Portland Trail Blazers led from start to finish in a 119-100 victory over the struggling New Orleans Pelicans.

Welcome back to another installment of HoopsHype’s power rankings. Last time, we made New Year’s resolutions for each team. This week, we’ll look at an X-Factor for each team, someone or something

After a 3-3 night, we analyze tonight’s 7-game NBA slate, featuring playoff-impact matchups like Cavs-Pacers and Nuggets-Mavericks.

The top tier is clearly defined and so is the bottom tier — the Cooper Flagg tier —- where seven teams reside. Each is hoping to land the Duke freshman star in the 2025 NBA Draft on June 25.

The Pelicans were without Zion Williamson (suspended) and Brandon Ingram (ankle), yet still managed to beat Philadelphia on the road, largely thanks to McCollum. His recent surge has helped lead the struggling Pelicans to wins in three of their past five games, a massive improvement over their 20.5 win percentage this season.