Pelicans deliver impressive 22-point comeback against Thunder

CJ McCollum (Erik Drost, Wikimedia Commons)

The New Orleans Pelicans showed the basketball world how resilient they can be on Wednesday. They were at one time down 47-25 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, before they came back to beat OKC 110-106. In the meantime, it was their fifth biggest comeback in franchise history. In the last 29 minutes and 45 seconds, the Pelicans outscored the Thunder 85-59.

Four Pelicans players reached double digits in points. Guard CJ McCollum of Canton, Ohio, and power forward Zion Williamson of Salisbury, North Carolina both had double-doubles. McCollum had 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Williamson had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas of Utena, Lithuania had 19 points, and guard Jordan Hawkins Gaithersburg, Maryland had 10 points.

What New Orleans fans saw on Wednesday is how good their big three could be. McCollum came over to New Orleans in a trade with Portland in February of 2022, Valanciunas came to the Pelicans in a three-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets on August 7, 2022, and Williamson was the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The biggest comeback in Pelicans’s franchise history was 24 points. On February 21, 2021, New Orleans was down 79-55 in the third quarter to the Boston Celtics, before they won 120-115. Small forward Brandon Ingram of Kinston, North Carolina led the Pelicans in scoring with 33 points.

The Pelicans are now at three wins and one loss. They have also beaten the Memphis Grizzlies 111-104, and the New York Knicks 96-87, and lost to the Golden State Warriors by a score of 130-102. This was the first game of a back-to-back for New Orleans, as they play Detroit on Thursday.