C.J. McCollum drops career-high 50 points in just 3 quarters
CJ McCollum is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Over the last three seasons, the deceptive combo guard has averaged over 20 points per game and shot over 41 percent from beyond the arc. While most players capable of these feats would be sent to the All-Star game year in and year out, he never seems to receive the star status attention that he so obviously deserves.
Although teammate Damian Lillard’s All-Star snub streak ended this season, McCollum was once again overlooked and discounted for playing in the same backcourt with a player of Lillard’s caliber. McCollum’s game is often compared to his All-Star teammate, but never praised in the same manner. However, all that might change soon.
As though he was shot out of a cannon, McCollum exploded for a franchise-high 28 points in the first quarter and never slowed down. The tricky scorer finished with a career-high 50 points and he only needed 29 minutes to showcase his silky smooth repertoire. His step back was lethal, his range was limitless and he put the NBA on notice.
While Damian Lillard usually calls the shots for the Trailblazers, he made the wise decision to keep the ball in the hot hands of C.J. McCollum. His selflessness paid off and Portland came away victorious as they dispatched the short-handed Chicago Bulls 124-108 on Wednesday night.
McCollum’s 28 points in the opening frame were the most recorded by any player this season. His final total came up nine points short of the Trailblazers’ record set by Damian Lillard last season, but if given the opportunity, McCollum surely would have surpassed the mark with ease.
Tonight was all about C.J. McCollum, but next game will likely feature Lillard as the man of the honor. The aggressive point guard only needs 12 points to reach 10,000 career points, and seeing as he averages 25.2 points per game, he should reach that milestone by halftime.
In the likely event he drops 12 or more points, he’ll join Clyde Drexler, LaMarcus Aldridge, Terry Porter, Cliff Robinson, Jerome Kersey and Jim Paxson as the seventh Blazers player to reach career achievement. Dame’s about four full seasons of averaging 24.5 points per game away from overtaking Clyde Drexler as the all-time leading scorer in franchise history, but at the rate he’s going, it’s looking less like if than when for the score first floor general.
