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After 11 losses in a row, the New Orleans Pelicans got back into the win column against the Washington Wizards on Friday night, picking up a 132-120 victory to improve to 6-29 on the season.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green was pleased with the effort put in by shooting guard CJ McCollum in the win that the team and city of New Orleans as a whole desperately needed. Green highlighted the quality of teammate McCollum has been despite the less-than-ideal season the Pelicans have had.
“CJ was incredible tonight,” Green said. “Some of the shots he was hitting tonight. He hit tough ones, he hit easy ones. We just wanted to continue getting the ball to him. He’s such a high-character individual. Every day he comes in, he’s talking to his teammates. Even through the losses, he’s been rock solid for us.”
McCollum had 50 points, three rebounds, two assists and shot 10-of-16 from 3-point range. His previous season-high in points came in a 36-point outing in the Pelicans' 111-109 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 12.
“We feel like we’re letting the fans down,” McCollum said. “We want to win games. We want them to be proud of the team that they support and proud of the team that they go out and cheer for or buy their jerseys, the new cable packages and all of that stuff, but it hasn’t been great. For us, I just think they just need to understand that we are working hard behind the scenes and we understand that there is a lot of season left and we’ve not played well for a lot of the season, and hopefully we can turn it around. It’s nice for them to have something to enjoy for a little bit, to kind of escape everything that may be going on right now.”
When the city they call home needed it the most, McCollum helped the Pelicans get the job done.
Can the Pelicans build some momentum?
Now that the Pelicans have put an end to that lengthy stretch of losses, can they go on a run and make up some of the ground that has been lost?
New Orleans has another contest against the Wizards on Sunday, but it will begin a stretch in which it will take on multiple teams in playoff contention afterward. Teams the Pelicans will take on during that stretch include the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.
The good news for the Pelicans is power forward Zion Williamson has made progress in his recovery and could join the team on the floor again soon. Williamson's return and the possibility of forward Brandon Ingram getting back on the floor could be exactly what the doctor ordered for a struggling Pelicans team.
