After 11 consecutive defeats, the New Orleans Pelicans obtained again within the win column towards the Washington Wizards on Friday night time, incomes a 132-120 victory to enhance to 6-29 on the season.
Pelicans head coach Willie Inexperienced was happy with the effort made by shooter CJ McCollum within the victory that the group and town of New Orleans as a complete desperately wanted. Inexperienced underlined the standard of his teammate McCollum was regardless of the Pelicans’ lower than supreme season.
“CJ was unbelievable tonight,” Inexperienced mentioned. “Among the photographs he made tonight. He hit the laborious ones, he hit the straightforward ones. We simply needed to maintain getting him the ball. He’s an individual with such character. On daily basis, he comes to speak to his teammates. Even regardless of the defeats, he was strong for us.
McCollum had 50 factors, three rebounds, two assists and shot 10 of 16 from 3-point vary. His earlier season’s excessive in factors got here throughout a 36-point outing within the Pelicans’ 111–109 loss to the Sacramento Kings on December 12.
“We really feel like we’re letting the followers down,” McCollum mentioned. “We need to win video games. We would like them to be happy with the group that they assist and happy with the group that they’ll root for or purchase their jerseys and the brand new cable packages and all that, nevertheless it hasn’t been nice. For us, I simply suppose they only want to know that we’re working laborious behind the scenes and understanding that there is numerous season left and we’ve not performed nicely for lots of the season, and I hope we are able to flip issues round. round. It is good for them to have one thing to get pleasure from for a short while, to kind of escape from no matter could also be happening in the mean time.
When town they name residence wanted it most, McCollum helped the Pelicans get the job accomplished.
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THE Are the Pelicans gaining momentum?
Now that the Pelicans have ended this lengthy dropping streak, can they step up and make up a few of the misplaced floor?
New Orleans has one other sport towards the Wizards on Sunday, however then it would start a stretch wherein it faces a number of groups in playoff competition. The groups the Pelicans will face throughout this era embody the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies.
The excellent news for the Pelicans is the ability ahead Zion Williamson has progressed in his restoration and will quickly be part of the group on the sector. The return of Williamson and the opportunity of ahead Brandon Ingram returning to the courtroom may very well be simply what the physician ordered for a struggling Pelicans group.
