CJ McCollum's 40-Point Outburst Leads Thursday's Top Performers

CJ McCollum #3 of the New Orleans Pelicans Getty Images | Jonathan Bachman

Even with only two games on Thursday night’s slate, there are still a few standout performances. Both games came down to the wire.

Here are the top performances from Thursday night:

1. CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans (40 Pts, 8 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk)

With Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram out, CJ McCollum held down the fort with a huge 40-point game against the Spurs. CJ McCollum is one of the smoothest scorers in the league especially when he has it going.

A new season-high for CJ McCollum ?

He becomes the first Pelicans guard in team history with a 40-point, 5 ast, 5 reb game since Tyreke Evans in 2014. pic.twitter.com/qJSBlOE0Sq
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 23, 2022

2. Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards (30 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast)

Bradley put a solid stat line against the Jazz but it wasn’t enough as the Wizards came up short, 120-112. Beal shot 13-20 from the field but the Wizards' defense just couldn’t come up with consistent stops.

Bradley Beal has been automatic from the midrange tonight. He's looked good overall the last 3 games since returning from his injury despite having yet to make a 3.

He's got 16 pts in 16 min on 8-11 FG. pic.twitter.com/lJv6w036Ip
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) December 23, 2022

3. Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs (23 Pts, 9 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl)

Jeremy Sochan is one of the more unique rookies in the NBA in terms of his playstyle. He’s a menace on defense and he shoots free throws one-handed. He has a bunch of talent and it was on display last night in the Spurs loss to the Pelicans.