Entering yesterday night’s clash against the Philadelphia 76ers, the New Orleans Pelicans had a solid 4-game streak. Hosting Joel Embiid and co. as their last home game before going on a 2-game roadtrip, CJ McCollum and co. put on a show for the 18,600+ fans present at the Smoothie King Center.
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In what many anticipated to be an interesting big-man clash between Zion Williamson and JoJo, McCollum was the unexpected star of the night. Grabbing their 5th consecutive win, it was Willie Green’s boys who grabbed a 127-116 victory.
While both the big men produced an entertaining duel, Williamson with 36 points & Embiid with 37 points, CJ went on to record a new career-high as a Pelican.
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Larry Nance Jr. hilariously congratulates teammate for career-high night
Just days after recording his first 40-point game as a Pelican, the 31-year-old went on to put up 42 points in merely 35:01 minutes of playing time.
CJ managed to score 42 points on only 20 shot attempts – knocking down 5 free throws, 2 field goals, and a new NOLA franchise record of 11 three-pointers.
Surpassing Peja Stojakovic’s previous 10 three-pointers mark, McCollum gave himself credit:
“It’s just a credit to working hard and believing in yourself and really, really taking the game seriously,” McCollum said. “Peja is obviously a legend who shot the ball extremely well. These types of nights come with preparation.”
Larry Nance Jr., who is pretty active on social media, congratulated the former MIP for his historic performance in the most hilarious way.
Replying to Larry’s “Game Recap”, CJ wrote:
“None of the threes looked forced”: Zion Williamson on CJ McCollum
Zion Williamson and head coach Green were also among the many who were impressed by the former Blazers’ outstanding outing. Lauding their star guard, both complimented the 190-pound guard:
“We’re all extremely proud of CJ. When he plays with that type of force and that pace, he just got it going and the basket got bigger and bigger as the game progressed and that’s how he has to play. He may not have 40 every game, but he’ll have major impacts and he’s done it throughout the course of the season,” Green said.
“None of the threes looked forced. That’s what made it look beautiful. None of the shots looked forced. They were all in rhythm and within the offense,” Williamson said.
The Louisiana-based franchise holds onto an incredible 23-12 record to put them #1 in the West. And CJ’s 20.1/5.1/6.1 contributions are a huge reason for the team’s success.
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