NEW ORLEANS – CJ McCollum had 23 points as the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Toronto Raptors 120-90 on Monday.

Acquired by the Blazers last week, McCollum was 5-for-8 in three-point shots.

Jonas Valantsiounas supported him with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Fred VanVleet had 20 points for the Raptors, who were embarking on a five-game road trip.

Pascal Shiakam added 18 points and Chris Bauser added 15 points, including nine on free throws.

Scottie Barnes struggled to score 2-for-10 in a row.

He was limited to five points – two more than OG Anunoby, also a key player.

Gary Trent also had a night to forget, with six points. In 15 shots he hit only twice.

The shots from around the perimeter weighed heavily on the balance: Toronto was 8 to 34 in that respect, the audience favorite 16 to 36.

The Raptors’ next stop will be Minnesota on Wednesday.

Toronto (31-25) remained in seventh place in the East, one and a half games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets.

Nick Ners’s group lost for the second game in a row, after eight consecutive wins. The team had won five consecutive times abroad.

Acquired by the Spurs last Thursday, Thaddeus Young made his Raptors debut. In 12 minutes he had four points and four rebounds.

The Pelicans are fighting for 10th place in the West.

The Raptors did not threaten after a 12-0 series of the Pelicans, overlapping the first and second ten minutes.

The Pelicans then led 34-17.

Prior to that turmoil, the visitors had taken nine consecutive points, including seven from VanVleet, to reduce the Pelicans’ lead to 22-17.

Elsewhere in the NBA

Pistons 94 – Wizard 103

DET: 24 points for Sadiq Bey in defeat.
IT WAS: Kyle Kuzma played almost 38 minutes on the track to score 23 points.

Kings 85 – Nets 109

SAC: De’Aaron Fox was the Kings’ only key player to score more than 10 points. Collect 26.
BRK: In his first game with his new team, Seth Curry led the team with 23 points. End of the Nets’ 11-game losing streak.

Thunder 127 – Knicks 123 (Extension)

OKC: Spectacular 28-point hat-trick, 11 rebounds and 12 assists for rookie Josh Gidey. Luguentz Dort was not present at the meeting.
NY: Julius Randle also scored a hat-trick with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

Spurs 109 – Bulls 120

SA: Dejounte Murray had 19 points and added 11 assists in the loss.
CHI: Final Player of the Week in the Eastern Conference, DeMar DeRozan had 16 of the 24 shooting attempts on the road for 40 points.

Trail Blazers 122 – Bucks 107

POR: 31 points for Anfernee Simmons. He doubled 23 points and 16 rebounds for Yusuf Nurkic.
MIL: Absence of Giannis Antitokoumbo, Jru Holliday was the best of his team with 23 points.

Magic – Nuggets

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Rockets-Jazz

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Warriors-Clippers

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