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Pelicans' Veteran Star Guard Joins Legendary Club After Recent Scoring Explosion

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 4:44 PM ET

The New Orleans Pelicans made franchise history in their 123-119 overtime win against the Utah Jazz on Monday night and their star guard also had an incredible performance.

New Orleans came back from being down 25 points in the game , which is the largest comeback in franchise history. They did so behind another spectacular performance out of C.J. McCollum, who led the team in scoring with 45 points.

This was McCollum’s second 45-point game of January after he exploded for 50 points in New Orleans’ victory over the Washington Wizards on Jan. 3. With this performance, McCollum not only led the Pelicans to their largest comeback in franchise history, but he also joined legendary company.

With his 45-point effort, McCollum became just the 11th player in NBA history to record multiple 45-point or more games in a season at age 33 or older. He joined elite company of some of the greatest players in NBA history on the list that includes LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant among others.

With the Pelicans still having 38 games remaining this season, McCollum still has the opportunity to add to add his name to another legendary list as the only players 33 or older with three or more such games of 45 points or more. If he does end up doing this, he will join Curry, James and Durant as the only players to accomplish the impressive feat.

While the Pelicans have had a terrible season, McCollum has done all he can do to keep them competitive this season. The 33-year-old guard is averaging 22.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 37.4% from three this season.

He has been able to take advantage of New Orleans missing some of their key players due to injuries this season including Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. His recent offensive explosion also comes just weeks before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, as he continues to boost his trade value.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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