ESPN reacts to New Orleans Pelicans beat Trail Blazers 126-107; CJ McCollum: 30 Pts; Zion: 26 Pts

ESPN reacts to New Orleans Pelicans beat Trail Blazers 126-107; CJ McCollum: 30 Pts; Zion: 26 Pts

Everybody alongside the great David Wesley I’m Jen Hal we’ve got a ton of pelicans faithful here celebrating tonight’s Victory they hang with us every pre and post game at home and we absolutely love it fantastic crowd here inside the Smoothie King Center David this one was tough going in the first

Half but the second half the Pelicans manned up got down to business did what needed to be done how did they finally start getting stops well I you know the defense in the first half didn’t quite show up and that might be a little bit of looking at their like we talked about

But what they did in the second half is they took care of business I didn’t expect them to blow them out in the first half I expect them to wear them down with their talent their communication and being the better team they did that in the second half and and

They got the win that’s all that matters keep stacking wins and they had to figure out how to run this defense without herb Jones cuz he was out tonight and everybody says he’s the leader of that defense so that is a little different the communication the execution well not just herb Jones but

Larry Nance as well and then uh Jonas didn’t play very many minutes so they had to do a lot of things play smaller play different uh and and and and they’re capable of playing different ways and winning different ways this is a nice team I like it they made the

Adjustments they got the W and you my friend you called it pregame you said CJ McCullum that’s the player to watch he’s going to go off and indeed he did your leading scorer tonight an awesome Get Right game for CJ he was feeling it 30 points eight assists he was really

Fantastic especially in the clutch David I know he was playing his old team but besides that what got him back in Rhythm it might be just him playing his own his old team you know what CJ is putting in the work you know he’s out there getting

His reps in and trying to figure it out sometimes you just go through these lows or sometimes you go through a slump he’s been in it he’s been through it and he figured out a way and he saw his old team and thought okay this is how I get

My get back he went out there and got back you love you and he played with Force he played with confidence and that’s all you want from CJ 13 points in the fourth quarter which is when you need it because this team has at times struggled in the clutch and granted it

Was never clutch time in this one but it was nice to see CJ finish strong because you know he’ll be able to translate that when it is clutch time well he took that three at the end of the game it’s going have taken a turnover it’s almost like

He was he was saying yeah Portland I’m coming for you it’s always that way when you play the team that drafted you all right Joe Myers Antonio Daniels they were on the call with me tonight and a fantastic job by then guys what did you think of

Tonight’s w a really good one at home they had to get it it’s a sub 500 team and CJ brought that up too compete at a high level against the winners and take care of the sub 500 teams and David even touched on 39 points in the second half

So they finish with 107 which is their season average so the second half defense was totally different than the first the second half defense was the difference in the game they scored 68 points in the first half right right and we talked at halftime about you can’t

Give up 68 points and almost 70 if they were counted that tip dunk by Kamar you can’t give up 70 points to a team that struggles to score the basketball the way the Portland TR player does but again A lot of times when people see the

Record what they expect you to do is simply go out there and blow somebody out no your job is to continue to stay the course don’t cheat the game play the game the right way and eventually the tide will turn and that’s exactly what they did they got disruptive in the

Second half got their hands in the passing Lanes created a lot of easy opportunities and run outs yeah and Trey capitalized on the opportunity to start her out and hopefully back Tuesday for the Brooklyn game but you had four guys good balance you had four with 20 or

More because Brandon Zion they filled it up and then CJ let everybody and by the way as you said yonas Valen junis one one rebound away he’s one rebound away from 8,000 he said he’s going to get it on my birthday he said he’s holding out until your

Birthday Tuesday in Brooklyn I’ll take that I will take that who who would have thought that who really would have thought that but hey as David said you keep stacking winds it wasn’t a guarantee was it no it definitely was not David Jen let’s rejoin the two of

You man you must be special to yonas ad yeah he’s special he’s definitely special great job gentlemen we will see you in Brooklyn coming up on Tuesday a lot of things to like about this game because the Pelican showing grit showing versatility showing they can adapt to

The situation at hand CU like you said two major um absences in Larry and Herb points off turnovers they were able to capitalize as well David when the Portland Trailblazers did make mistakes because early on the Trailblazers weren’t making many well and when you’re not really guarding and you’re allowing

You know guys to just run to the rim you’re not getting the stops they 68 points to a team that can’t score there were no point there were no turnovers so in the second half they started getting active hands active feet guarding their yard and and getting those turnovers so

Then when they got the turnovers they were able to get out and transition and get those points off turnovers it feels everything everything is is contingent upon those stops and not turning the ball over not self-inflicted wounds like let’s take a look at your FanDuel final

Stats for a complete picture of how this one unfolded David when you run down that column we talked about it at halftime it it looked very similar the Pelicans and able to flip the game more in the second half which one is most telling to you well you know you like

The points in the paint and the points off turnovers but you also like the Pelicans only had 10 turnovers you don’t want to give a young team young athletic team a young team that likes to get out in transition you don’t want to give them a bunch of turnovers to stay in the

Game they took care of the ball and I love that don’t hurt yourself had it going he was feeling himself tonight we talked so much about DeAndre Aton but Bon made it he made it count Bon had some things on his mind tonight he was going for his but that’s how this works

When you have young players with nothing to lose they use these opportunities to make names for themselves there’s no consequences to to what they do right now they’re not playing for anything you know and and Chon’s probably just over there go out there and play there you

Know they have injuries so they’re not you know nobody’s coming to get you and Bandon is just starting to say look why not why not me he put his head down he got to the basket he knocked down threes really nice really nice game he’s playing but the Pelicans the Pelicans

Took him lightly they weren’t sure he was going to come out this aggressive he averages seven points on the season right so you know he he basically surprised him I I I he’s going to be a nice young player I mean he this guy sat on the

Bench at the very end of the bench couldn’t get any minutes goes to Portland now he’s starting to get minutes now he’s starting to say okay now look at me everybody look at me maybe he gets a you know on a good team and a uh where he can go win some games

Everybody was looking at him at halftime he had 20 points the same as Zion Williamson that’s not a bad little bragging right to have for yourself not no and and and he was playing hard he was a he was the reason why they they were in the game in the first half

Because not only was his penetration and he was finishing he was also finding guys it’s a good win though at the very end and that’s all that matters a w is a w especially against a Western Conference team at this point Pelicans a game and a half out of fourth place now

Let’s check in with head coach Willie Green for his thoughts on how his Squad wrapped up this home stand coach after an All-Star type first half uh you really locked it down defensively in the second half and that was really the key to this game to help

You kind of extend the lead and and win it in the end for sure that’s all that’s what we talked about at halftime um the first team that decides to play some defense will have an opportunity to win this game and uh it’s a credit to to our

Guys in the locker room keeping our standards High and um really just going out in the second half and executing on both ends of the floor and you know this is a tough back to back they they’re a team that plays hard um they they’re

Fast and um if you don’t get a hold of them you know they can get some gain some confidence how nice was it to see CJ his shots been SCU the last couple games boyy he really broke out of it last night got 30 and uh it was just

Good to see the ball go in the hole for him it was great to see CJ Fore e speech speech Fore I know For spee spee Fore Fore for for speech foreign For

ESPN reacts to New Orleans Pelicans beat Trail Blazers 126-107; CJ McCollum: 30 Pts; Zion: 26 Pts