CJ okay, Zion near perfect as Pelicans whip Embiid-less 76ers

The New Orleans Pelicans got a good look at what they missed over the last 12 games. The Philadelphia 76ers got a good look at what they were missing.

CJ McCollum returned to the lineup and was excellent while reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid did not play Wednesday night at Smoothie King Center.

The result was a 124-114 victory for New Orleans.

Embiid, who is averaging 32 points per game, was a late scratch before game time with an illness.

Without McCollum, New Orleans was just 5-7.

McCollum scored 20 points with five assists in just 28 minutes. He makes a huge difference.

New Orleans was superb for a half, solid three quarters and took its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia had 14 turnovers in the first half, eight of which were steals by the Pelicans.

The Pelicans dominated the first quarter, taking a 39-24 lead before taking a 68-48 halftime lead.

New Orleans shot 58 percent in the first half and shared the ball brilliantly, with assists on 20 of their 25 made shots.

It was 102-81 going to the fourth quarter.

Aside from losing the elite offense and rebounding of Embiid, the Sixers lost their only size and rim protection and that was an inviting, appetizing dynamic for Zion Williamson.

Enjoying his best game of the season, Williamson had a season-high 33 points on a near perfect 11-of-12 from the field with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. Williamson was 11-of-12 from the free throw line.

He nearly became the first player in franchise history to score 30+ points in a single game without missing a field goal attempt and just the 15th player in NBA history to do so before he was charged with a missed field goal attempt later after initially having been given credit for not missing a shot.

Jonas Valanciunas benefited as well without the presence of Embiid. Valanciunas scored 19 points with six rebounds. Jordan Hawkins had 16 points and five rebounds off the bench, continuing his outstanding rookie season and Brandon Ingram had 15 points. New Orleans shot 54 percent from the field and 88 percent from the free throw line.

The Pelicans had 33 assists on 42 made field goal attempts and won the battle of the boards by a 41-30 margin.

The one negative was 21 turnovers by New Orleans, though the 76ers finished with the same number of giveaways. Without Embiid, the Pelicans won the points in the paint battle by a 60-50 margin.

The Pelicans led by as many as 29 points.

Philadelphia cut the lead to eight points at 118-110 with just under two minutes to play.

New Orleans had to bring back Valanciunas as Cody Zeller was totally ineffective. The reserve center spot for the Pelicans, overall, has been a weakness. Larry Nance Jr. has not been very effective and he was unavailable with an illness.

McCollum settled it down by hitting a runner to put the Pelicans back up 10 points.

Overall, it was a good win for the Pelicans, beating a team that was 12-5, even without its star. Injuries are part of the game and New Orleans surely has had its more than fair share of those.

Jose Alvarado re-aggravated his sprained right ankle in the first half but thankfully, he was able to return in the second half.

Trey Murphy III and Matt Ryan are very close to returning as well. For Murphy, it would be his season debut, recovering from knee surgery.

New Orleans (10-9) will host San Antonio and Victor Wembanyama on Friday night. It is the first of a tough back-to-back as the Pelicans must travel to Chicago to play Saturday against the Bulls.