On April 14, in the first round of the NBA Western Conference Playoff, the Pelicans defeated the Spurs at home to eliminate the opponent, so that the Pelicans advanced to the second round, and then challenged the Clippers on the road to compete for the eighth place, which is the last playoff ticket in the West. McCollum played strongly in this game, he scored 32 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists to lead the team to eliminate the Spurs.
During the game, when McCollum scored 19 points in the second quarter, Grizzlies core Morant praised: "CJ is so good! ”
At the beginning of the first quarter, McCollum scored the first goal with a steal on the layup. The three-pointer missed, but soon McCollum assisted Ingram to score. McCollum broke through the middle and he sped up to a layup to score. McCollum stopped the ball with a jump! Flying straight up to Trae Jones, was blown for an offensive foul. McCollum faced Richardson with a foul and he hit both free throws.
In the second quarter, McCollum used cover to hit a jumper at the free throw line. Facing defense, McCollum committed a foul on a three-pointer, and he hit all three of them. McCollum held up to Lonnie Walker and hit a jumper, who scored consecutive points and led the team to widen the advantage to double digits. After a short break, McCollum singled out Kelden Johnson and stepped back to hit a three-point shot. McCollum also assisted on Alvarado's three-point shot in the open. McCollum then scored five consecutive points on a surprise shot, which was quite strong. McCollum pulled away to single out Kelden Johnson, who broke through and played against Peltel, pulling the bar to score, which was wonderful. McCollum shot 10-of-12 in the first half, scoring 27 points, 1 board, 1 assist and 1 cap, and 19 points in a single quarter.
In the third quarter, McCollum scored with a long pass assisting Ingram. With the help of blocking, McCollum hit a jumper and the Pelicans' advantage continued to widen. McCollum hit the ground and assisted in the inside of Valanciunas pie to score. The two then connected several times, and McCollum scored consecutive assists on Valanciunas. McCollum hit a three-pointer to continue helping the Pelicans extend their advantage. At the end of the third quarter, the Pelicans led the Spurs by 17 points.
With 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, McCollum replaced Murphy, spurs frantically chased points, McCollum held the ball to the free throw line, assisted Ingram jump shot to stabilize the situation. Opponents missed three-pointers and McCollum protected the rebound. The Pelicans won and eliminated the Spurs.
It has to be said that McCollum came to the Pelicans' choice was very correct, and his teammates changed from Lillard to Ingram and re-formed the two-gun combination. With the Blazers missing the playoffs, McCollum led the Pelicans to eliminate the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, and the next game against the Clippers is promising to advance to the playoffs.
I also look forward to the next performance of Ingram, and strive to continue to be in good shape, the game against the Clippers will not be easy, and strive to play a good performance.