On March 9, Beijing time, the NBA regular season broke out, and the Lone Rangers lost to the Pelicans 106-113 away. In this game, the Lone Ranger suddenly collapsed and lost power in the second quarter, losing 16 points in a single quarter 19-35. After Ingram retired injured, Doncic also retired at the end of the third quarter. In the final quarter, although Irving scored 11 points in a single quarter and led his team to only 4 points, it was too late and eventually lost on the road. Pelicans veteran McCollum scored 32 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in the game, becoming the Pelicans' number one contributor in this game. The result of this game made the entire Western Conference playoff spot even more chaotic, with the Warriors rising to 5th and the Lakers falling to 10th.
Before this game, the Pelicans suffered a major blow! Inside general Zion was exposed that his recovery was not as good as expected, far from the level of comeback. Zion has not played since his absence on January 3 and will miss at least until the end of the season. And, while the Pelicans are 10th in the West, they are still under pressure from the Thunder, Blazers and Jazz. To add insult to injury, Pelicans star Ingram left the court late in the second quarter with another ankle injury. Arguably, the Pelicans are the worst team in the West.
However, the Pelicans accumulated a big advantage before Ingram went down. In the first quarter, the two sides tied at 24. In the second quarter, Hayes scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, and McCollum scored 11 points. The Lone Ranger, on the other hand, lost power and scored only 19 points in a single quarter. At halftime, the Pelicans led by 16 points at 59-43. The Pelicans continued to extend their advantage in the third quarter, reaching 19 points at one point. In the final quarter, Irving and Hardaway Jr. made a push and led the team to score 41 points in a single quarter. But at the crucial moment, McCollum hit a three-point shot, and the veteran scored 16 points in the final quarter! In the end, the Pelicans won at home!
In the game, McCollum shot 12 of 22, including 6 of 8 three-pointers, and scored 32 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. With Ingram out injured, McCollum took responsibility for the soul of the team. The Lone Ranger, on the other hand, lost a very crucial game. After this battle, the Lone Ranger was squeezed to 6th place. After the Pelicans won, the record tied the Lakers, both 32-34. In the Western Conference playoffs, from 5th to 13th, the gap between the 9 teams is only 3 wins, which is extremely tragic.