Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Lights it up from deep in OT win
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McCollum produced 43 points (16-25 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 4-6 FT), seven rebounds and two assists in 41 minutes during Thursday's 140-133 overtime win over the Kings.
McCollum was red-hot from three in Thursday's overtime battle, leading all players in scoring and threes made while finishing second on the team in rebounds in a balanced 40-point showcase. McCollum has connected on seven or more threes in three outings this season, surpassing the 40-point mark on three occasions. He has posted at least 40 points and seven boards in two contests this year.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Available to play
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McCollum (personal) is available for Wednesday's game against the Kings, Will Guillory of The Athletic reports.
McCollum missed his first game since Nov. 22 on Monday against the Thunder, but he'll return from a one-game absence. Karlo Matkovic drew the start in McCollum's absence Monday, but he's not a lock to move back to the bench since Zion Williamson (rest) is expected to sit out either Wednesday or Thursday against the Kings.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Questionable against Sacramento
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McCollum (personal) is listed as questionable for Wednesday's game versus the Kings.
McCollum is in danger of missing his second straight contest Wednesday due to personal reasons. If the veteran guard is forced to sit out yet again, Jose Alvarado and Karlo Matkovic will likely continue to receive increased playing time.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Out Monday for personal reasons
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McCollum has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Thunder due to personal reasons.
McCollum is slated to miss his first game since Nov. 22, and his next chance to suit up will come Wednesday in Sacramento, the first half of a back-to-back set for New Orleans before the All-Star break. With Brandon Boston (ankle) also sidelined, Javonte Green, Jordan Hawkins and Antonio Reeves are all candidates for increased roles.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Strikes for 31 in Sacramento
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McCollum logged 31 points (10-19 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 5-6 FT), six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 33 minutes during Saturday's 123-118 loss to the Kings.
The veteran guard hit the 30-point mark for the second time in the last three games, continuing a surge that has seen McCollum average 24.4 points, 4.1 boards, 3.7 assists and 3.5 threes over the last 10 contests while shooting 42.7 percent from beyond the arc. Despite those efforts, the Pelicans have lost eight straight games as an injury-ravaged roster's lack of depth keeps catching up to them -- New Orleans blew an early 20-point lead against Sacramento.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Drops 30 points in loss
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McCollum finished with 30 points (10-22 FG, 5-9 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, five assists and one block in 35 minutes during Monday's 125-113 loss to Denver.
With Dejounte Murray (Achilles) out for the season, McCollum is expected to continue to see an uptick in usage for the Pelicans. He's averaging 21.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.7 steals over his last 10 games, but with the Pelicans poised to be sellers at the trade deadline, McCollum is likely to draw a lot of interest from contending teams.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Hits for 22 in Toronto
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McCollum notched 22 points (9-21 FG, 2-7 3Pt, 2-4 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and two steals across 36 minutes during Monday's 113-104 loss to the Raptors.
The 33-year-old guard topped 20 points for the fourth time in the last five games, while extending his streak of games with at least one three-pointer to 18. During that stretch, McCollum is averaging 23.4 points, 3.7 assists, 3.6 threes and 3.5 boards while shooting 41.4 percent from beyond the arc.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Struggles against Charlotte
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McCollum supplied nine points (3-13 FG, 1-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and three assists over 23 minutes during Saturday's 123-92 loss to Charlotte.
Saturday marked the fourth time this season that McCollum failed to score at least 10 points as he struggled from the field, particularly from beyond the arc. He could have difficulty getting back on track Monday against a Raptors team that has won five of its last six games and limited the Hawks to just 94 points Saturday. Since and including Jan. 1, McCollum has averaged 22.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds over 32.6 minutes per game.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Erupts for 45 points
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McCollum closed Monday's 123-119 overtime win over Utah with 45 points (18-31 FG, 5-13 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks over 44 minutes.
What a month this has been for McCollum, as his three best scoring performances have come in January -- he had a season-high 50 points on Jan. 3 and a 38-point outing on Jan. 10. For the month, he's averaging 24.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.8 three-pointers. If the Pelicans become sellers at the deadline, there will likely be a strong market for the veteran guard.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Held in check
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McCollum ended Tuesday's 119-113 win over Chicago with eight points (3-13 FG, 2-7 3Pt), four rebounds, five assists and one steal in 29 minutes.
Duds like this have been few and far between this season, but two of arguably his worst games of the season have occurred in January. Despite that, McCollum is still averaging 23.0 points, 3.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 3.8 three-pointers through eight January appearances.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Leads all scorers with 38 points
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McCollum chipped in a game-high 38 points (13-24 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 6-11 FT), three rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes during Friday's 123-115 win over the 76ers.
With the short-handed Pelicans in dire need of a lift, McCollum powered the team to victory with a game-high 38 points and six threes Friday. The star guard has thrived lately as New Orleans' top scoring option, as he's averaged 28.5 points, 3.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 4.8 threes while shooting 48.1 percent from beyond the arc over his last eight games. McCollum should continue handling additional playmaking duties while Brandon Ingram (ankle) and Trey Murphy (ankle) remain sidelined, but he'll face a tough test Sunday against the defending-champion Celtics.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Struggles with shot
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McCollum finished with five points (1-14 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 2-3 FT), two rebounds, two assists and one block across 30 minutes during Tuesday's 104-97 loss to the Timberwolves.
McCollum had a nightmare showing Tuesday in what was a rare dud for the veteran. He'll be looking at heavy usage Wednesday against Portland, as the Pelicans will be without Zion Williamson (rest) and Trey Murphy (ankle). Plus, Dejounte Murray (elbow) is questionable to suit up.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Stays hot Sunday
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McCollum racked up 25 points (9-18 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, three assists and one block over 36 minutes during Sunday's 110-98 victory over the Wizards.
Two days after tying his career high with 50 points, McCollum led the Pelicans in scoring once again in Sunday's rematch against Washington. The star guard has been on a tear lately, as he's averaging 32.4 points, 5.6 three-pointers, 3.6 assists and 3.4 rebounds across his last five games.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Erupts for career-high-tying 50
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McCollum produced 50 points (18-27 FG, 10-16 3Pt, 4-4 FT), three rebounds and two assists across 31 minutes during Friday's 132-120 victory over the Wizards.
The veteran guard tied his career scoring high as he became the eighth player in the 2024-25 campaign to drop 50-plus points in a game. McCollum's 10 made threes also tied Damian Lillard and Tyler Herro for the high-water mark in the NBA this season. McCollum has scored in double digits in 18 straight games since returning from an adductor strain in late November, averaging 23.6 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 boards and 3.1 threes over that stretch.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Dominates from deep as top scorer
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McCollum closed Monday's 116-113 loss to the Clippers with 33 points (12-25 FG, 8-14 3Pt, 1-2 FT), two rebounds, four assists and one steal over 39 minutes.
McCollum lit it up from three in Monday's contest, leading all players in shots made from deep while ending as the top scorer for New Orleans while surpassing the 30-point mark. McCollum set a new season high in threes made, posting his fourth performance of the season with 30 or more points. McCollum has been hot as of late, scoring north of 30 points in two straight contests.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Comes close to double-double
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McCollum amassed 24 points (8-21 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 4-6 FT), six rebounds, nine assists, one block and one steal over 39 minutes during Sunday's 132-129 overtime loss to the Nuggets.
McCollum didn't have his best shooting performance, but he finished just one assist shy of a double-double while filling the stat sheet with tallies in each of the six major categories. The veteran guard has responded well to the role of being one of the Pelicans' go-to options on offense due to the absences of both Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Brandon Ingram (ankle). McCollum has averaged 20.3 points, 4.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 2.1 three-pointers made per game in 10 December contests.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Scores season-high 36 points
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McCollum ended with 36 points (14-24 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 2-2 FT), three rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes during Thursday's 111-109 loss to the Kings.
McCollum carried the Pelicans in the fourth quarter and sparked the team's late comeback attempt, but he fell short. Regardless, this was an excellent showing from the veteran, who eclipsed the 30-point mark for the first time in 2024-25. The injury problems seem to be a thing of the past for McCollum, who's averaging 22.8 points per game in nine appearances since returning to the hardwood in late November due to an adductor injury that caused him to miss 13 games in a row. Now that he's fully healthy, and considering the Pelicans are without Brandon Ingram (ankle) and Zion Williamson (hamstring), expect McCollum's upside and usage rate to skyrocket in the coming contests.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Drops 19 points in loss
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McCollum recorded 19 points (8-18 FG, 3-8 3Pt), four rebounds and five assists across 34 minutes during Sunday's 121-116 loss to the Spurs.
McCollum had a respectable shooting night, but his production regressed as the Pelicans mounted a late rally to grab the lead in the fourth quarter. He sat on the bench during most of the rally, appearing briefly before losing the lead once again. Brandon Ingram (ankle) is expected to miss significant time, which will put more pressure on McCollum to spearhead the offense.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Finishes with 13 points Sunday
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McCollum amassed 13 points (6-16 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), three rebounds, three assists and one steal in 25 minutes during Sunday's 118-85 loss to New York.
McCollum more or less went down with the ship in Sunday's blowout loss to New York, seeing his minutes held to a season-low 25 after he did not play in the fourth quarter, but he did manage to come away from the rout without a turnover. The 33-year-old star guard has offered a stabilizing presence in an injury-plagued Pelicans lineup when healthy this season, averaging 20.0 points, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.9 three-pointers in 32.3 minutes per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor over eight contests. His efficiency may be up and down while New Orleans is without Brandon Ingram (calf) and Zion Williamson (hamstring), but the added usage in the stars' absences should help McCollum remain very productive in the scoring department.
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Pelicans' CJ McCollum: Plays well in return
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McCollum ended Monday's 114-110 loss to the Pacers with 23 points (9-20 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes.
McCollum returned from a 13-game absence Monday and the Pelicans didn't waste any time by throwing a full workload at him. They didn't really have a choice, as the team has been battered by injuries. Dejounte Murray (hand) is expected back Wednesday, however, and Brandon Ingram (calf) is day-to-day, but McCollum is likely to maintain a significant role for the foreseeable future.
