McCollum and Pelicans Vets Take Flight and Soar to a Play-In Game Win Over Spurs

Veteran players led the way as the Pelicans soared over the Spurs to capture their first Play-In Tournament game.

CJ McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas, and Brandon Ingram led the way as the Pelicans soared over the Spurs to capture their first Play-In Tournament game, 113-103.

New Orleans' veterans took charge and led Coach Green's remarkable young team to defeat San Antonio in front of over 18,000 fans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA.  

Coach Green on the team: "...talking to our guys in the huddle. it was just about execution on both ends of the floor and they did that."

Apr 13, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins (23) during the first half of a play-in playoff game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The Pelicans' Big 3

• CJ McCollum had a 27-point first half and finished with 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.
• Jonas Valanciunas had a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
• Brandon Ingram was in foul trouble in the first half and scored 11 points in 10 minutes of action.  He caught fire in the second half, especially during crunch time, and left the contest with 27 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds.

Green on McCollum: "He was great. He set the tone early. He understood the moment And it sort of calmed the rest of the guys down, we just got the ball to him, he may play after play, score, score, and then the rest of the guys that just starting to feed off CJ..."

The Rest of the Nest

Herb Jones did one of his best "Herb Jones" impressions when it counted. The Pelicans defensive star limited the Spurs' star Murray to early foul trouble and 16 points in the game.

Coach Green on the Pels Rookies: "And at one point, I had three rookies on the floor at the same time now, I was nervous as heck with those guys being on the floor, but they, they've worked at it, they've improved and the opportunity to be on the floor."

The Pels' spark plug, Jose Alvarado, did his job and ignited the second-quarter run to have the Pelicans leading by 11 points at halftime. "Grand Theft Alvarado" had a 12-point outing, 3 assists, and 1 rebound.

New Orleans will travel to meet the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference's second round in the Play-In Tournament on Apr. 15.

TNT will televise Friday night's match from Crypto.com Arena.