Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum to return from injury vs. Pelicans

Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum runs to the other end of the court after scoring against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum will return from a 25-game absence on Tuesday night versus the New Orleans Pelicans, the team has announced.

McCollum, 29, played 13 games this season before fracturing his foot against the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 16, and had a career-best start averaging 26.7 points and 5.0 assists on .473/.441/.844 shooting in his eighth season with the Blazers.

Portland was off to a 9-8 start before McCollum's injury and has since gone 14-11, with Damian Lillard carrying the offensive load as center Jusuf Nukic remains out with a fractured wrist until the end of March.

Former Duke Blue Devil Gary Trent Jr. has stepped up amid the injuries, nearly doubling his career-high averaging 15.4 points per game, as has 10-time all-star Carmelo Anthony, who's averaging 14.2 points per game in his 18th season.

When submitting content, please abide by our  submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.
We use cookies to improve your experience. Learn More or change your cookie preferences. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies.
close