NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CJ McCollum scored 23 points in 29 minutes against his former team, and the New Orleans Pelicans moved closer to clinching a home play-in game with a 127-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. Jonas Valanciunas, who returned from a sore right ankle, scored 14 points in 21 minutes for the Pelicans, who were without leading scorer Brandon Ingram because of his tight right hamstring. But the Pelicans wound up not needing any of their starters on the floor for as many as 30 minutes against a reeling Blazers team that had a patchwork lineup and lost its ninth straight. Drew Eubanks led Portland with 20 points.
McCollum’s 23 points leads Pelicans past Blazers, 127-94
