After four consecutive defeats i New Orleans Pelicans they return to success thanks to CJ McCollum: In the night the former Portland player establishes his season-high sealing 40 points at the San Antonio Spurs. A performance that left the whole franchise breathless which, orphaned by Zion Williamson, had the desperate need to get up after the last falls.
CJ McCollum dropped a 40-piece and 7 threes in the Pelicans win ????
40 PTS
8 REB
9 AST
7 3PM pic.twitter.com/JOERS8Ueue— NBA (@NBA) December 23, 2022
Willie Green: “Exciting to see CJ McCollum play like this”
A superlative performance by CJ McCollum, who loads on his shoulders NOLA and gives her the first victory after four consecutive defeats. Without Zion Williamson – out for having entered the anti-Covid protocol – coach Willie Green he needed the maximum commitment of his boys, finding in McCollum the leader to conquer the much desired victory, as he said in the press conference:
“Tonight it was exciting to see CJ play like this: in addition to the points scored, the nine assists he made were incredible. We needed such a performance. Injuries? These things happen, the important thing is not to give up: our boys come forward and enjoy these moments, some think they are obstacles, but for us they are part of the game; we prepare ourselves in the best possible way, then we take to the field and try to do our job”
“It was great to see CJ have a night. The nine assists, impressive… We needed that.”
-Willie on CJ’s night pic.twitter.com/E1OeYXSFOL
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 23, 2022
Compliments from Hernangomez and Popovich
Il season-high established by CJ McCollum is also a great satisfaction for his teammate Willy Hernangomez who, in the post match, praises his performance:
“McCollum dominated the match from start to finish: I’m happy for him because he’s finally finding his rhythm, today was a great match for him and I like seeing him make the right plays more than once”
LIVE: Willy Hernangómez@verizon https://t.co/hHHDkOkWyT
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 23, 2022
Those who remained helpless in the face of McCollum’s performance were the Spurs and Gregg Popovich who, in the press conference after the match, complimented the number 3 of the Pelicans:
“We don’t have someone like McCollum who comes in and does what he did with us: I changed players on the pitch, up until then we had had a decent game and then he took over. He was great”
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