By Eric Jay Santos
On Sunday, the New Orleans Pelicans took a 136-130 loss from the Detroit Pistons. The Pelicans were without superstar Zion Williamson due to a low back contusion, while Detroit’s Cade Cunningham was inactive due to a calf injury.
CJ McCollum scored a game-high 40 points with seven assists, and five rebounds for the Pelicans. Jordan Hawkins contributed 25 points from off the bench, and Karlo Matkovic totaled a team-high 11 rebounds.
Ron Holland II led Detroit’s offense with a season-high 26 points. Jalen Duren tallied 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Marcus Sasser scored 20 points from off the bench.
The Pelicans entered the fourth quarter with a two-point deficit in the back-and-forth match. Both teams went 13-for-20 in shooting from the field in the final frame. Holland II scored the majority of his points towards the end of the game, giving Detroit it’s slight edge over McCollum’s Pelicans.
New Orleans now holds a 19-53 season record. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games.