Pelicans' CJ McCollum, Zion Williamson Torch Sixers on Friday

The Sixers take on another loss Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans on the road.

For the first time in nine games, the Philadelphia 76ers took on a loss Tuesday night on the road against the Washington Wizards.

After getting the last few days off, the Sixers returned to the court on Friday night to face Western Conference’s first-seeded New Orleans Pelicans.

It was a big outing for the Sixers specifically because their third-year rising star Tyrese Maxey made his highly anticipated return to the court after battling a fractured foot back in November.

For the first time in a long time, the Sixers were fully healthy, as the only three players listed as out on their injury report were the two two-way prospects (Julian Champagnie and Louis King), and the second-year guard Jaden Springer, who was assigned to the Delaware Blue Coats.

Friday’s game in New Orleans marked the first of two matchups between the two out-of-conference competitors this season.

Quarter Breakdown

1st Quarter

The Sixers didn’t want the return of Maxey to shake up their lineup, as their starting five has been rolling lately with De’Anthony Melton playing alongside James Harden. Therefore, Melton got the nod to start, having Maxey come off the bench for the first time since December 2021. 

Philadelphia quickly turned a loud crowd silent as they got off to a hot start. Through the first five minutes of the matchup, the Sixers got off to a 16-6 run, led by the veteran center, Joel Embiid. 

However, the hot start for the Sixers cooled down as the Pelicans started to heat up, resembling a similar momentum shift the Sixers dealt with when they were on the road against the Washington Wizards earlier in the week,

Although Embiid was drawing double teams early, he still wrapped up the first quarter nearly perfect from the field, draining six of his seven shots and knocking down all three of his free throws, totaling 15 of Philadelphia’s 24 points before he went out with under two minutes to go. The Pelicans, who took their first lead with 44 seconds left to go, entered the second quarter with a 31-27 lead. 

2nd Quarter

After going scoreless from the field in the first quarter, Tyrese Maxey finally got on the board to start the Sixers off in the second quarter as he hit on an impressive 21-footer within the first minute. It wouldn’t be an igniter for Maxey and the Sixers, however.

New Orleans ended the first quarter on a high note and remained on fire in the second quarter. Right off the bat, they rallied off a 10-2 run within the first three minutes. 

While Zion Williamson was the fire-starter for New Orleans in the first 12 minutes of action, CJ McCollum got hot in the second quarter. As the Pelicans crafted an impressive run, McCollum knocked down all but one of his six three-point attempts in the second quarter alone.

Through the first half, McCollum had 23 points, hitting on seven of his first 11 three-point attempts. Philadelphia trailed by as many as 17 points in the second quarter. Fortunately for the Sixers, a 14-4 run down the stretch of the second quarter gave them life. Going into halftime, the Sixers trailed 67-60. 

3rd Quarter

Neither team lacked energy coming out of the half. Sixers big man Joel Embiid continued knocking down shots efficiently, as he hit on five of eight shots in ten minutes. The big man dropped almost half of the Sixers’ third-quarter points by producing 15 points.

Pelicans guard CJ McCollum engaged in a duel of buckets with the big man. While McCollum took half the amount of shots as Embiid, his two baskets from beyond the arc helped McCollum produce 13 points to add to his total. In addition, McCollum tied his single-game career-high for three-pointers made with nine total.

The Sixers had an impressive shooting quarter in the third, draining 55 percent of their shots and knocking down 60 percent of their threes. But the Pelicans didn’t let their foot off the gas. By knocking down 56 percent of their shots, drilling 60 percent of their threes as well, the Pelicans outscored the 76ers by one point, maintaining an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

4th Quarter

The same trend continued in the final quarter of action. The Sixers weren’t throwing in the towel and continued to give themselves a fighting chance. On the other hand, the Pelicans weren’t slowing down, no matter how much the Sixers fought.

McCollum continued torching Philadelphia from beyond the arc. He surpassed his career-high single-game three-point baskets made by draining his tenth three with five minutes left to go in the game. Roughly three minutes later, McCollum knocked down another three in transition, breaking the Pelicans’ record for the number of threes made in a single game by a player. 

At that point, the veteran sharpshooter exceeded 40 points on the night and helped New Orleans slide the game slightly more out of reach for the 76ers, who continued to search for ways to snag a comeback.

The game got too far out of reach for the Sixers. While Philadelphia got another impressive 37-point performance out of its big man Joel Embiid, McCollum and Williamson were too much for the Sixers, as the Pelicans picked up their fifth-straight win over the Sixers, sending Philly to Oklahoma City with a 127-116 loss

Player of the Game

CJ McCollum

The Pelicans really had two phenomenal solo performances on Friday night between CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson, but the former put the Pelicans above and beyond the Sixers. The 31-year-old Canton-born guard simply couldn’t miss from deep. In 35 minutes, McCollum attempted 20 shots, with 16 of them coming from beyond the arc. The veteran nailed 68 percent of his threes, totaling 42 points. He tacked on five assists as well, helping the Pelicans pick up a dominant win over the Sixers.