NEW ORLEANS -- After carrying the Portland Trail Blazers to an important victory with another dramatic round of Lillard Time, Damian Lillard returned to the visiting locker room to discover an important message waiting for him:

Get home.

Finally, eight days after the due date, Lillard's girlfriend had started labor. Finally, after anxiously sweating out the final days of the pregancy, Lillard could return to Portland for the birth of his son.

"I'm excited," Lillard said, wearing a big grin. "Been waiting."

Lillard already had a black duffel bag packed and resting near his feet in the visiting locker room at Smoothie King Center as he revealed that grin. After a quick chat with reporters, Lillard strolled out of the locker room and raced toward the airport in New Orleans, where a private plane waiting on standby would fly him back to Portland. There, Lillard said he would drive immediately to the hospital.

The dramatic trip was only fitting on a night Lillard rescued the Blazers with another dramatic fourth-quarter performance.

The three-time All-Star scored 20 of his game-high 41 points in the fourth, willing the Blazers to an impressive 107-103 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He started the electric run by swishing a three-pointer to open the final quarter, the beginning of a burst of seven consecutive points in less than two minutes, then hit big shot after big shot the rest of the way. Lillard made six of his first seven field goals in the fourth, scored 14 of the Blazers' first 18 points, and was unstoppable for significant stretches.

When it was all said and done, Lillard made 8 of 14 shots, including 2 of 4 three-pointers, in the fourth quarter, as the Blazers outscored the Pelicans 36-28. They had trailed by as many as 11 in the second half.

Lillard finished with 41 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, a memorable game on a memorable night.

"We know this is a big trip still, but these two right here against teams right on our heels, one of them a division opponent ... were really, really big," Lillard said of consecutive victories over Oklahoma City and New Orleans. "I'm just happy I'm going to be able to get on that plane knowing that we got these first two."

As Lillard left Smoothie King Center, perhaps the only question was whether he would be able to rest his anxious mind and squeeze in a nap during the long flight home.

"It's probably going to be the only time I get to sleep for a while," Lillard said, chuckling. "So I better get some."

Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com 503-294-5183 @BlazerFreeman