NEW ORLEANS — CJ McCollum obtained New Orleans going early and Brandon Ingram took over late to ship the Pelicans to Los Angeles for an opportunity on the remaining playoff spot.
McCollum scored 27 of his 32 factors within the first half to hold the younger Pelicans to a 113-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday evening. New Orleans will face the LA Clippers on Friday evening for the eighth playoff seed.
“He was nice,” Pelicans coach Willie Inexperienced stated of McCollum. “He set the tone early. He understood the second, and it kind of calmed the remainder of the fellows down. We simply obtained the ball to him and he made play after play, rating after rating, after which the remainder of the fellows that simply began to feed off CJ.”
Taking part in in his 57th playoff recreation, McCollum displayed a chilled presence to his youthful teammates. Rookies Herb Jones, José Alvarado and Trey Murphy performed giant chunks of the fourth quarter.
“I used to be simply attempting to be locked in and aggressive early,” McCollum stated. “The playoffs is plenty of antics, plenty of momentum performs, plenty of forwards and backwards. You’ve obtained to be secure and mentally locked in to face up to a sure stage of (chaos). … There’s going to be plenty of successful in our future.”
McCollum wasn’t alone. Ingram shook foul bother so as to add 27 factors and heart Jonas Valanciunas added 22 factors and 14 rebounds because the Pelicans’ stars delivered underneath strain of New Orleans’ first postseason recreation since 2018.
“The three greatest gamers for New Orleans all performed nice, and if that occurs, you’re going to lose,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stated of his group’s lack of ability to include McCollum, Ingram and Valanciunas. “We stayed in it and obtained again in it, however then we made the identical errors as we did within the first three quarters – non bodily protection.”
“We’re simply enjoying for one another,” Valanciunas stated of mixing for 81 factors with McCollum and Ingram. “When issues battle, we want any individual to sluggish the sport down, which (CJ) does. Subsequent step is on Friday.”
Popovich stated his younger group, which averages 25 years in age, discovered a lesson the onerous approach.
“It’s the playoffs, and also you’ve obtained to be into folks,” Popovich stated. “The grunt is necessary. Ingram scored two in a row proper in the midst of the lane with nobody even touching him. It’s a fantastic lesson for our guys.”
The Pelicans, who completed ninth within the West after beginning the season 3-16, will play on the Clippers with the winner dealing with the top-seeded Phoenix Suns within the first spherical. New Orleans beat Los Angeles in three of 4 conferences this season.
The Pelicans appeared headed to a rout, main 96-75, with 10:39 left, however the Tenth-seeded Spurs used a 16-1 run over the following 5:25 to chop it to 97-91. The Pelicans missed seven consecutive pictures in the course of the run.
Ingram hit a pair of sentimental jumpers within the lane and Valanciunas added a brief jumper to place New Orleans again on prime, 103-91.
Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 23 factors. Dejounte Murray had 16 factors, however he went simply 5 of 19 from the ground whereas being shadowed by Pelicans rookie defensive stopper Herb Jones.
“You need to take the nice and unhealthy and study from it,” Murray stated. “We had guys not shoot nicely, beginning with myself. They have been bodily. I ain’t making no excuses.”
After Ingram went to the bench with three fouls 5:17 earlier than halftime, McCollum carried the Pelicans offensively. In a 14-4 run over the ultimate 3:36 of the half, McCollum made two 3-pointers and pierced the San Antonio protection for 2 finger-roll layups on robust drives into the lane as New Orleans constructed a 61-50 lead.
McCollum made 10 of his first 12 pictures, together with 2 of three from lengthy vary, regardless of drawing constant double groups.
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