CJ McCollum has proven repeatedly to be one of the NBA’s premier mid-range and long-range shooters over an accomplished nine-year NBA career, but in his New Orleans debut Thursday, he couldn’t quite find a rhythm. The same was true for his team, which struggled from the field and beyond the arc. Despite battling back several times from a deficit, the Pelicans couldn’t overcome a below average shooting performance, losing to East-leading Miami.
McCollum took a flight from Portland to New Orleans on Wednesday and arrived in the Crescent City at 12:30 a.m. Thursday. He was in uniform and in the starting lineup for the Pelicans roughly 18 hours later.