New Orleans Pelicans Guard CJ McCollum Clears Protocols, Will Play Tuesday vs. Suns
Fighting for a spot in the NBA’s play-in tournament, the New Orleans Pelicans are set to welcome back one of their top offensive weapons.
According to the club’s official Twitter, star guard CJ McCollum has cleared the league’s health and safety protocols and will play in Tuesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
CJ McCollum (Health & Safety Protocols) has been upgraded to AVAILABLE for tonight?s game vs. Phoenix
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 15, 2022
McCollum was forced to miss New Orleans’ last two games after testing positive for COVID-19. The Pels went 1-1 over that stretch and currently hold the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.
“It’s good to be back,” McCollum said. “It’s hard to watch. You want to be out there competing and helping your team win, but the guys did a good job while I was out.”
The 30-year-old has been fantastic since being acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers, posting averages of 27.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 12 appearances.
With New Orleans still missing fellow star Brandon Ingram, McCollum will be asked to handle even more of the offensive workload and represents a solid play in DFS contests this evening.
FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the Pels listed as +4.5 home underdogs on the spread and +164 on the moneyline.
