Down Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and several other players, the Portland Trail Blazers easily handled the Philadelphia 76ers on the road, behind several stellar efforts and one career night.
Gary Trent Jr. scored a team-high 24 points, Carmelo Anthony added 22 points, Enes Kanter had 17 points and Rodney Hood chipped in 16 during the 121-105 victory.
But it was Trail Blazers rookie CJ Elleby that had all of social media talking.
The seldom-used forward, who had totaled 19 points in eight previous appearances this season, produced a career-high 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in 31 minutes off the bench.
The career night came just two nights after Elleby was yanked from the game just 44 seconds into his stint on the floor, which made the reaction by McCollum that much better.
Young with a career high for 16. Sixers throwing in the towel
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 5, 2021
😂😂😂👌🏾 https://t.co/iIaQODMTOe
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 5, 2021
Throughout the game, several Trail Blazers players celebrated the performance of Elleby, with Trent leading the charge with his antics on the bench.
The reaction of his teammates was something that was special to Elleby.
“That means a lot,” Elleby told NBC Sports Northwest after the game. “All of our guys just go and we cheer for each other. That’s the best part. When you got guys that are supportive of you no matter what, ups and downs, Gary is a hell of a teammate, everybody was great teammates tonight. We worked together and we got it done.”
CJ Elleby is the man of the hour. #RipCity pic.twitter.com/K3TZfBnBSQ
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) February 5, 2021
Elleby’s career night certainly came when Portland desperately needed it with only nine healthy players available to suit up. The performance will help build his confidence moving forward, and it also shows the team he is capable of stepping up in certain situations.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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