It was all CJ McCollum from the opening tip on Wednesday night in Portland at the Moda Center as the Trail Blazers hosted the Chicago Bulls. Just one night after Houston Rockets star James Harden scorched the court for the NBA’s first 60 point triple-double, McCollum went off for a career-high 50 points.
CJ McCollum set a Blazers franchise record for points in a quarter after he dropped 28 in the first quarter alone, single-handedly outscoring a Bulls team short a couple of rotation players. He hit 11 of his 14 shots and outscored Chicago by nine points in the first frame.
McCollum went into halftime with 32 points and after an 18-point third quarter, he eclipsed the 50 point mark in only 29 minutes of action. He didn’t see one minute of the fourth quarter in the Blazers blowout over the Bulls, 124-108.
After the game, McCollum said after talking to his teammates, he was motivated to hit the 50 point mark, according to Andrew Greif of the Oregonian.
“During the game I looked up and was like, I can get like 40,” McCollum said. “Ed (Davis) was like, ‘Nah, you need to get 50.’ Dame was like, ‘Get 50.’ I was like, OK, I’ll get 50 then if you guys want me to.”
