NEW ORLEANS — Jose Alvarado snagged the offensive rebound with less than six minutes remaining, and the ball eventually swung to CJ McCollum for the open 3-pointer from the right wing.
The shot went bang, because of course it did.
The 76ers had no answer for the Pelicans’ shooting sniper, whose season-high 42 points on a career-best (and franchise-record) 11 of 16 from beyond the arc lifted his team to a 127-116 victory Friday night at the Smoothie King Center.
McCollum’s 10th 3-pointer, which surpassed the nine he totaled in a 2020 game against the Rockets, gave New Orleans a 119-107 lead with about five minutes to play. He pulled up for his 11th with 2:30 to go. When the video board announced his feat during a timeout, McCollum waved his arms to encourage an already-rowdy crowd to get loud.
McCollum out-dueled Sixers All-NBA center Joel Embiid, who was a monster inside with 37 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
The night began with a herky-jerky first half, with both teams building double-digit lead. The Pelicans (23-12) quickly closed a first-quarter deficit and took a 63-46 lead on a Jonas Valanciunas dunk with less then three minutes to play in the second quarter. But the Sixers (20-14) closed the half with a 14-4 spurt, including 3-pointers by James Harden, Georges Niang, and Tobias Harris.
The Sixers have now followed their eight-game winning streak with two consecutive losses. They will conclude their four-game road trip Saturday night at the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Embiid’s outing
Embiid has now scored at least 35 points in each of his past four games, this time on an efficient 14-of-22 shooting from the floor and 8-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line.
He made six of his seven first-quarter shots — including a breakaway dunk that gave the Sixers a 16-6 lead — for 15 points. He knocked down a 3-pointer and nabbed a steal and a basket during his team’s surge right before halftime.
Embiid went 5 of 8 from the floor in the third quarter, including three scores through contact, to notch another 15 points and keep his team within striking distance. He reached 30 points on a dunk about midway through the period.
The Pelicans’ powerful big man, Zion Williamson, was also effective Friday after scoring a career-high 43 points in Wednesday’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He finished with 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting, five rebounds, and two assists.
Williamson was particularly menacing during a 12-point second quarter that came after he twice flew through the air but could not collect the ball to finish an alley-oop. He made five of his seven shots in the period, including a finish through contact that gave the Pelicans a 39-29 lead.
The Sixers’ P.J. Tucker essentially matched Williamson’s minutes. The veteran forward was eventually whistled for a technical in the fourth quarter for arguing a foul called against him while guarding Williamson, and Sixers assistant Dan Burke was T’d up from the bench shortly after another foul was called on Tucker.
Williamson’s and-one finish with less than three minutes to play gave the Pelicans a 121-110 lead to all but put the game out of reach.
Maxey returns
Tyrese Maxey came off the bench in his return from a fractured foot, and at times looked like a player who had not seen game action in about six weeks. He finished with nine points on 4-of-10 shooting, one rebound, and one assist in 19 minutes.
Maxey’s biggest shot came on a 3-pointer from the top with about eight minutes to play, which cut the Pelicans’ lead to 107-101.
He checked in at the 5-minute, 21-second mark of the first quarter, handling the ball while Harden got a breather. He missed his first two shots — a corner 3-pointer and then a pull-up triple at the top of the key. His first bucket came on a tough fadeaway early in the second quarter.
He re-entered with about five minutes to play in the third quarter, missing a baseline shot before going up-and-under for the reverse layup on a similar drive.
Maxey started the second quarter with Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, Georges Niang, and Montrezl Harrell — a group that recently had Harden as the point guard. Maxey’s return also pushed wing Danuel House Jr. out of the rotation. Maxey and Harden were on the floor together to begin the fourth quarter.
Coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that Maxey likely would not play in both games of the back-to-back set, meaning he could sit Saturday in Oklahoma City.
Uncharacteristic early struggles
The Sixers dug another first-half deficit thanks to struggles in two areas they normally excel.
After entering Friday ranked fifth in the NBA in 3-point percentage (38.0), they missed 12 of their first 15 long-range attempts. The Pelicans, meanwhile, began 9 of 14 from deep, including three consecutive makes by McCollum to push New Orleans’ advantage to 56-40 midway through the second quarter.
That number eventually stabilized for the Sixers, who finished 14 of 34 from deep. But they could not quell the Pelicans’ hot long-range shooting throughout (15 of 31).
The Sixers also struggled to take care of the ball early, committing 13 first-half turnovers that the Pelicans converted into 25 points. Harden committed five of those giveaways.
