On Tuesday, the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans tied up their first-round series versus the No. 1 seed Phoenix Suns thanks in large part to the efforts of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.
Combined, they scored 60 points to lead the Pelicans to the 125-114 win.
Ingram had a game-high 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to finish just shy of his first career triple-double. McCollum added 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and Larry Nance Jr. chipped in 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.
Of course, there was also the rookies’ production.
The team has relied on three first-year players this season, and each has come up with big-time plays and contributions to help the Pelicans reach this point of the postseason: A tied-up series versus the top seed going back to New Orleans for Game 3.
Herb Jones led the way with 14 points, three assists and one steal. Trey Murphy III had nine points and three steals off the bench while Jose Alvarado scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter to help keep the Pelicans ahead.
McCollum admired their commitment and growth this season.
They’ve just showed tremendous growth, not just from the two play-in games and the six games we used to close the season out but from when they were 1-12. That takes a courageous group led by a courageous coach who did what it took to get the best out of his players and then they went and put the work in so we could have success.
With Jose knocking down shots, with Herb locking up (on defense) and making his free throws, with Trey knocking down shots. We had a lot of guys who were in the G League finishing this game.
AND AGAIN! @AlvaradoJose15 pic.twitter.com/hQMRt3Ss8B
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 20, 2022
The three players have often been commended by their veteran teammates for the poise they display, and their ability to compete on a nightly basis. They have rarely been afraid of the moment and that has shown on the game’s biggest stage as of late.
There is no question the Pelicans are led by Ingram and McCollum, but the contributions of their rookies, and the rest of the roster, are a huge reason why they are currently tied up with the Suns.
Game 3 is scheduled to tip off on Friday at 9:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[lawrence-related id=75068,75023,74905]
[mm-video type=video id=01g0zdgknpqc4nr8w5rd playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g0zdgknpqc4nr8w5rd/01g0zdgknpqc4nr8w5rd-ce9d0db2fd1279aeabde537223923715.jpg]
[listicle id=74825]