Western Conference Recaps, March 8: C.J. McCollum’s Late Push Gives The New Orleans Pelicans A Victory Against Mavericks

The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks were without two of their stars for most of the game. Brandon Ingram left in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and Luka Doncic left in the third with a strained left thigh.

Still, the Pelicans defeated the Mavericks 113-106 behind CJ McCollum’s 32 points. He scored 13 points in the final four minutes.

“No excuse, just produce. Figure out a way to get the job done. That’s what it's going to take for us down the stretch,” McCollum said. “Make or miss, I've got to be aggressive for us and make something happen.”

Kyrie Irving scored 27 points for the Mavericks and Tim Hardaway had 17.

NEXT MAVERICKS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Apr. 1 at Miami

OTHERS:

-Devin Booker had 44 points in the Phoenix Suns' 132-101 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Booker stepped up in Kevin Durant's absence with a 44-point performance in the blowout. He shot 74 percent from the field, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Booker is back to his All-Star form, averaging 38 points to start the month. He is the first player in Suns history to score 35 points in four consecutive games.

Durant did not play after sustaining an ankle injury during pregame warmups. He is listed as day-to-day.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.