Portland showed their mettle today with a convincing 105-83 win over New Orleans. "After some of the games we've had, I think we've left some doubt as to whether we can solidly beat anybody," said head coach Bob after the game. "I don't know that one game will erase those doubts, but I can certainly see the difference in the locker room."

The win came largely as the result of a great effort by Jackson, the Portland star. Said Bob of him, "The game would have gone down to the wire without Jackson's efforts today. He really made the difference between another tough battle and a dominating win."

Portland was led by Jackson (21 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 7 blocks), Vanderveer (20 points, 14 boards, 0 assists, a block), Smith (12 points, 2 steals). New Orleans was led by Williams (15 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block), Haines (18 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, a block), Dillard (10 points, 9 boards, 0 assists, 2 blocks).

After this win, Portland are now 43-18. They remain at #1 in the Northwest and improve to #2 overall in the Western Conference. New Orleans drop to 21-40 and 12-19 at home with the loss. They remain at #4 in the Southwest and remain at #12 overall in the Western Conference.

box score Portland roster New Orleans roster